The Catholic Church in Chile has had a complex relationship with the Chilean state, particularly during the latter half of the 20th century, with the government of Salvador Allende and the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

On April 16, 1971, a group of these priests, "The 80", released a declaration advocating for Catholics to actively participate in Allende's cause and the socialist program.

[5] In 1972, twelve members of Christians for Socialism were invited to visit Cuba by Fidel Castro, while there they spoke in support of socialist revolution.

[5][6] During the Allende administration and immediately preceding it, supportive elements of the Chilean Catholic Church did not limit themselves to declarations of solidarity with the poor or the government—they also performed it through material acts.

During this time, some nuns and priests were already living and working with the poor (as a result of evangelization efforts undertaken by the Church to address the widespread lack of clergy across Latin America or through their own volition) in order to better serve the people and understand their reality; one example took the form of Father Ignacio Pujadas, who formed a Christian Base Community in his neighborhood and was later a founding member of Christians for Socialism.

[7] Parts of the Church also voluntarily aided the Allende government: in 1971, the Society of the Sacred Heart gave the Chilean government some of its private high schools, and the Congregation of the Holy Cross raised tuition for rich students in their Santiago school to fund scholarships for poor students, both in accordance with Allende's project of increasing educational access.

Most Catholic bishops and priests supported the regime initially, and the hierarchy formally condemned Christians for Socialism following the coup.

[8] That year, under the leadership of the Archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Raúl Silva Henríquez, the Church set up the Vicariate of Solidarity, a human rights organization where "everyone went for help once their loved ones vanished.

"[9] The Vicariate of Solidarity gathered documentation of human rights violations and disappeared individuals, which was later used as evidence in truth commissions and court cases after the dictatorship.

[8][9] The Vicariate also provided support to victims and their friends and relations, circulated a confidential newsletter, and served as a sheltering organization for other opponents of Pinochet's regime.

[8] The Vicariate of Solidarity undertook more socially oriented projects as well, sponsoring creators of arpilleras, as well as the selling and exhibition of their work, and also it established soup kitchens and a clinic.

[10] The Vicariate was the successor to the Committee of Cooperation for Peace in Chile, founded by a collaboration between Archbishop Henriquez and other religious leaders on October 6, 1973.

Usually meet at Assembly where national contingency discuss issues or topics that are related to the development of the Catholic Church in Chile.