Abstract
The article deals with the complex relationship between liberalism and Catholicism by way of an analysis of attempts at reorganization of the system of ecclesiastical revenues and state budgetary support for the church, which took place in the Province of Buenos Aires between 1852 and 1862. It studies the controversies that ensued from these attempts amidst the public opinion and in the governmental and parliamentary arena, both leading directly to a rupture within porteño Catholicism due to the emergence of Freemasonry. It maintains that within the two sectors which confronted each other in these disputes - masons and anti-masons - the prevailing opinion favored continued state support of the Church.
Keywords:
Buenos Aires; Catholicism; liberalism; freemasonry; state budgetary support for religion