Catholic Propaganda on the Frontiers: Evangelizing Pagans, Protestants, and Non-Believers in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Dear Colleagues,

In the 16th century, strategies for the evangelization and promotion of Catholicism among the still predominantly pagan populations of the world underwent significant transformations. On the one hand, for the first time, these efforts adopted a global perspective, which was a direct consequence of Iberian maritime expansion across both the Atlantic and the Pacific. On the other hand, within Europe, the Protestant Reformation had led to the loss of territories and followers, creating an urgent need to either reclaim them or persuade them to return to the Catholic faith. Members of religious orders recognized the inherent differences among the various pagan communities encountering Christianity for the first time, as well as among Muslim and Protestant groups. These distinctions required missionaries to have an awareness of the local political circumstances under which Catholic missions operated, allowing them to adapt their strategies accordingly.

This Special Issue seeks to examine the diverse approaches employed to teach and persuade different populations to embrace Catholicism across a wide range of contexts. It will explore missionary efforts among the seemingly "savage" indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon and northern Mexico, as well as the conversion of Asian societies and Muslim populations. Additionally, it will analyze the Catholic response to what were considered Protestant heresies in Europe. These varied contexts led to the development of diverse methodologies, which were shaped by clear ethnographic criteria and the specific political conditions of each region, as exemplified by different missionary enterprises.

To achieve this, this Special Issue will feature contributions from specialists in Catholic evangelization across various regions of the world. Their analyses will focus on missionary strategies, the contradictions between expectations and practical realities, political conditions and the inherent risks of Catholic propaganda, and ultimately, the success of these missions. Furthermore, this Special Issue will assess whether missionary initiatives aligned with the imperial ambitions of the crowns that ultimately financed them.

Beyond historical analyses, this work will also explore the theological and intellectual foundations of missionary activity. Many of these ideas were rooted in Thomistic thought, which provided the conceptual framework for evangelization carried out in vastly different contexts, from Central Europe to Brazil and Japan.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and theoretical contributions are welcome. Their research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. The globalization of Catholic evangelization;
2. Religious orders and cultural adaptation;
3. Missionary strategies and ethnographic approaches;
4. Challenges and contradictions in global missionary work;
5. Theological foundations of evangelization against heresies and pagans.

We request that prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors to ensure a proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Please send your manuscript to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Manuel Mendez Alonzo
Dr. Gregor Pobežin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Catholic mission
• comparative missionary endeavors
• global religion
• paganism and heresies
• cultural adaptation