A little known elite: the Brazilian episcopate

The article focuses on the changes the Brazilian episcopate underwent during the second half of the Twentieth Century. The conditions of development of the Catholic hierarchy point out a process of institutional autonomization and professionalization of the religious body, based on a strong import flow of models of religious excellence and of workforce. The outcomes of this process are visible mainly in two aspects: a ruling elite marked by the predominance of individuals from the South and Southeast of Brazil, recruited amidst rural groups of immigrant descendants; and the high value of a Romanized religious profile, including experiences abroad and broader cultural and management skills.