, veteran journalist Hugh O'Shaughnessy chronicles the unlikely rise of Fernando Lugo
If you have been searching for the (likely meaning "update" or "download"), you are part of a niche but dedicated readership. This article serves as a comprehensive guide to the book, its availability, its political thesis, and why it remains essential reading for understanding modern Paraguay. O'Shaughnessy delves into Lugo's background as the "Bishop
: The book is praised for providing a deep historical background on Paraguay, particularly the 61-year rule of the Colorado Party and the brutal dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Liberation Theology : Reviewers from National Catholic Reporter Thinking Faith " influenced by liberation theology
: It details the 61-year rule of the Colorado Party and the brutal 36-year dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, which left the nation plagued by corruption and extreme inequality. Lugo's Journey no party machine
The book argues that Fernando Lugo’s rise was not a fluke but the culmination of 500 years of resistance—from Jesuit missions to the bloody War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) to the 35-year Stroessner dictatorship (1954–1989). O’Shaughnessy frames Lugo as the "bishop of the poor," who broke from Vatican orthodoxy to champion landless campesinos against the Colorado Party machine.
O'Shaughnessy delves into Lugo's background as the "Bishop of the Poor," influenced by liberation theology, and his conversion from a man of the cloth to a national political leader.
Enter Fernando Lugo. A bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro, he was known as the "Bishop of the Poor." He had no political experience, no party machine, and no personal wealth. His weapon was moral authority. The book argues that Lugo’s candidacy was not just an election; it was a —the first time the marginalized campsinos (peasant farmers) saw themselves as legitimate political actors.