Catholic Church, Sex and Reproductive Freedom in Costa Rica

Slogans like, “Get your rosary beads out of my ovaries”, “illuminate the Catholic Church by burning it”, and “Jesus loves prostitutes” are a few examples of themes repeated Sunday in front of the metropolitan cathedral of San Jose. Ambivalence toward the official state religion of Catholicism is nothing new in Costa Rica, and a protest that might have seemed unthinkable a decade or two ago provided fertile opportunity for women to vent their unhappiness toward the policies of a male dominated Catholic faith.

The protest, termed locally as the “Marcha de Las Putas” translates literally in English to the “March of the Whores”, and was intended to echo similar protests termed as a “Slut March”, which have been organized in various cities worldwide.

The original Slut March, however was directed toward the offhand remark of Toronto police constable Michael Sanguinetti who publicly admonished women to not dress as sluts in order to avoid sexual assault.

Comments from Costa Rican bishop, Francisco Ulloa provided the feminist backlash in Costa Rica when as part of an address to commemorate Virgen de los Angeles during the annual pilgrimage to Cartago on August 1st, he called on women to dress with modesty and decency.

Part of learning to live in a Latin American country like Costa Rica requires getting used to seeing women of all shapes and sizes who show a bit more in everyday settings like work and on the average city street. Romantic couples are often seen during intense displays of affection in parks and public spaces.

Traditionally the Catholic Church has influenced everyday life among Latin American countries more than any organized religion has in the United States. The Constitution of the Republic of Costa Rica establishes Roman Catholism as the official religion of the state under Title Six, Article 75. The same act tolerates other forms of worship provided they do not conflict with the established morality.

Church doctrine also influences the more practical aspects of the Costa Rican legal system. Abortion is a criminal act punishable by two years imprisonment and an exception is only allowed in cases where there is a substantial medical risk to the mother. Costa Rica is also the only country in the Western Hemisphere that bans all forms of in vitro fertilization.

Religious holidays also dominate the rhythm of national events with Easter Week and Christmas as the major holidays. Costa Rican Mother’s Day is one of the biggest holidays of the year and while the connection is not widely known the date on August 15th follows the Assumption of Mary, which is another holiday on the Roman Catholic calendar.

Damage Control Less Than Divine

Unhappiness with the comments of Bishop Francisco Ulloa is easy to understand given that he belongs to an organization dominated by men, and which happens to have definite opinions about women and their bodies. Church officials, unfortunately are not doing a very good job of dealing with the protest in the press.

Statements coming from the clergy alternate between taking a stand against “manifestations of violence toward the church”, and some finger pointing between parishes. It seems that some in the diocese of San Jose where the protest took place may not be as supportive of Bishop Ulloa who presides over the diocese of Cartago. San Jose or “Chepe” is the modern city of entertainment and sin, established as the new capital of Costa Rica after earthquakes continually leveled the old and austere colonial capital of Cartago.

Perhaps the best thing for the church to do would be to quietly ignore the protest, which without any further fuel from church leaders is not likely to be repeated. Costa Ricans will continue to be ambivalent about Catholicism, but a bunch of male priests who take a strong stand against feminist public opinion are likely to loose more faithful than they might otherwise keep by turning the proverbial “other check”.

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