Camilism

Camilism

Portrait of Camilo Torres Restrepo
Class represented	Proletariat
Position	Revolutionary communist
Major figures	Camilo Torres Restrepo Manuel Pérez
Related tendencies	Marxism–Leninism Mao Zedong Thought
Organizations	ELN

Camilism, also known as Camilo Thought when used in relation to Marxism-Leninism-Maoism and understood as a guiding thought, is a Liberation Theology oriented ideology considered a composite of Marxism-Leninism and Christianity derived from the works of Camilo Torres Restrepo and Manuel Pérez.

Development

As co-founder of the first Faculty of Sociology at the University of Bogotá, Camilo Torres Restrepo spent much of his time formulating essays detailing topics such as agrarian exploitation, bourgeoise democracy, and the concept of revolution, often inspired by Mao Zedong Thought. It was because of his increasingly revolutionary and Marxist beliefs that he became known as the "Revolutionary Priest" around this time, and gained fame across Colombia.

In 1965 he founded the People's United Front, his coalition of Communists, unionists, and leftist oriented Christians. Shortly after the failure of the United Front that same year, Torres joined the ELN, with whom he had retained contact with for a number of years by that time. Camilo Torres served as commander and ideologue of the ELN until he died in combat in 1966.

The ELN, as it existed under Torres and Fabio Vasquez Castaño was a focoist, Marxist-Leninist group inspired by the Cuban Revolution and Che Guevara. When Manuel Pérez assumed leadership of the ELN in 1979, he began a series of theoretical developments that changed the understanding of Camilo Torres and his legacy.

Manuel Pérez was the first to articulate Camilism as a guiding thought. As a part of his reconstruction and reconstitution of the group in the 1980s, the ELN's official ideological makeup was defined as:

"Marxism-Leninism, in its roots, in its fundamental and basic tenets as expounded by Marx, Engels, Mao, Lenin, Che, and so many others,"

and which had

"...found fertile ground in Latin America, where we have revolutionary thinkers such as Mariátegui, Martí, Sandino, and other revolutionary figures,"

as well as "The Thought of Camilo Torres," which Pérez claimed

"Creatively applied Marxism-Leninism to the conditions of Colombia."

and is referenced in the "Merger Agreement" which created the Union Camilista as the political party attached to the People's Army, which was the ELN. Pérez mentions that the UC-ELN

"unites to set an example for our brothers and sisters, invoking the Thought of Camilo and opening paths of hope."

Criticism

Camilism is sometimes criticized by Maoists because of it's essentially explicit Catholic character - a direct result of Torres' application of Marxism-Leninism to a more than 90% Catholic country - which is considered Idealism in the traditional Marxist view. Lenin states in The Attitude of the Workers’ Party to Religion how

"The party of the proletariat demands that the state should declare religion a private matter, but does not regard the fight against the opium of the people, the fight against religious superstitions, etc., as a “private matter”. The opportunists distort the question to mean that the Social-Democratic Party regards religion as a private matter!"

In the same text, he adds

"If a priest comes to us to take part in our common political work and conscientiously performs Party duties, without opposing the programme of the Party, he may be allowed to join the ranks of the Social-Democrats; for the contradiction between the spirit and principles of our programme and the religious convictions of the priest would in such circumstances be something that concerned him alone, his own private contradiction; and a political organisation cannot put its members through an examination to see if there is no contradiction between their views and the Party programme."

In his Interview with Marta Harnecker, Manuel Pérez upholds a similar view; when asked, "Is it effective for you to declare yourself a Marxist before a Christian?" his response includes that

"It is undeniable that the science for the revolution is Marxism-Leninism, and that is accepted by all the Christians participating in the Organization. As a leader, then, I feel fully committed to the construction of the revolution in its global project, which leads me not to actively appeal to my Christian origin for revolutionary commitment."

Additionally, when asked, "How do you reconcile Marxism and Christianity?" Pérez states that

"From the beginning, the ELN (National Liberation Army) based its actions more on common political practice and a clear commitment to social transformation than on engaging in extensive theoretical and philosophical debates to justify its identity. On the other hand, in recent years, Marxism has been undertaking theoretical work on Latin America that acknowledges the revolutionary potential of popular Christianity, and in turn, revolutionary Christianity has been increasingly incorporating elements of Marxism, which have influenced the development of a very unique Liberation Theology for Latin America. This debate and mutual enrichment, stemming from the theoretical contradictions that arise from a shared practice—where there are political identities but differences in some motivations and philosophical tenets—has not concluded, but rather remains a constant source of new inquiries and theoretical developments."