Francisco Penzotti, Pionier evangelischer Missionsarbeit in Peru: Ein Bibelkolporteur und Gemeindegründer als Schnittstelle im Kampf um Toleranz und Religionsfreiheit im Peru des 19. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

This study deals with Francisco G. Penzotti, a Bible colporteur and church planter, opening in 1888 in Peru a branch of the American Bible Society. But the Peruvian con-stitution prohibited any public, non-Catholic religious activities. The country's situation for decades had been confrontation between clerical conserva-tism and progressive liberal forces, thus dividing Peruvian society. Penzotti became a catalyst in this confrontation at a time of critical importance, thus revealing the frailty of the Roman Catholicism as an integrating force in this society. He becomes a "human interface" in the struggle for tolerance and freedom of worship, involving the participa-tion of important sectors of Peruvian society. This paper describes the historical background and Protestant activities prior to Pen-zotti, then his work and person. A missiological summary interprets Penzottis success, acting as a human link between two distinct eras and clearing the way for a future of tolerance and religious freedom in Peru.