The Second Episcopal Conference of Latin America was a bishops' conference held in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia, as a follow-up to the Second Vatican Council which it adapted in a creative way to the Latin American context.[1] It took as the theme for its 16 documents “The Church in the Present Transformation of Latin America in the Light of the Council", with a focus on the poor and oppressed in society.[2] It recognized that “the social situation demands an efficacious presence of the Church that goes beyond the promotion of personal holiness by preaching and the sacraments.”[3] The bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor" and gave their approval to Christian "base communities" in which the poor might learn to read by reading the Bible. The goal of the bishops was to liberate the people from the "institutionalized violence" of poverty. They maintained that poverty and hunger were preventable.
Medellin, Colombia; where the Conference took place in 1968.
In 1931, Pope Pius XI had put forward a vague plan for a sort of moderate corporatism. However, he also pushed for both Catholic and secular labor unions. Though these unions were likely more akin to medieval guilds in the Pope's vision,[4] unions at this time were beginning to be associated with workers' rights and class struggles. By the 1950s and 1960s, Christian Democratic parties and Catholic labor associations were on the rise.[5] Members were tasked with bringing Christian values and principles into public life. Papal teachings emphasized the "re-Christianizing" of society based on cooperation for the common good. While the Christian Democratic Parties began advertising their "Third Way" as an alternative to both capitalism and socialism, a divide formed within the Christian Democratic Parties between the "liberationists" and the moderate conservatives who were in control. The Latin American Episcopal Council (Spanish: Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano), also known as CELAM, organized the conference in Medellin in order to give direction to the Church in Latin America. In an introductory statement the bishops wrote:[2]
The difficult progress towards development and integration [in Latin America] could become an important catalyst in the process of unification to which the whole human race is converging today. ...The upheaval we are experiencing demands new attitudes of us so that we can carry through an urgent, global and profound reform of structures.
The reform movement drew on the influence of Paulo Freire, widely regarded as the greatest literacy teacher of the region, along with Father Camilo Torres and Bartolomé de Las Casas. It allowed for the poor to object to the hegemony and hierarchy they had been subjected to for the past centuries. Instead of accepting only what they were given, the people could now demand more, like soup kitchens, day care, co-ops, neighborhood organizations, higher wages, better medical care, and greater self-respect. The bishops and religious sisters who took part in this effort were hoping that the "religious fervor" of the region would help make the result extremely powerful. They rejected for Latin America the model of development imposed by international organizations along with the national governments and economically powerful groups. The poor were to become active agents in the political and economic spheres. Bishop Dom Hélder Câmara called for a "structural revolution" which would allow for integral development and the full flourishing of every human person. Pope Paul VI had spoken of "just insurrection" and the possible use of violent rebellion in certain situations.[6]
The Medellin Conference in 1968 opened the way for the development of liberation theology, and endorsed the formation of base communities under lay leaders approved by the pastor. As base communities greatly multiplied, critics would complain of Marxist ideology and propensity toward violent confrontation. In 1978 Pope John Paul II, a staunch opponent of Communism in his native Poland, diminished the influence of liberation theology by appointing in Latin America only conservative bishops. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was in charge of enforcing doctrine which largely opposed the theological interpretations and actions of the liberationists. In 1983 the Pope visited Nicaragua and expressed his belief that there is a fundamental difference between Catholic and Sandinista ideology, something which they vehemently deny.[7]
Tension in Medellin documentsedit
It was common to see the contradictory nature of the documents from the 1968 conference as the new liberationist movement overtaking the older, developmentalist thought which has been described as follows:[8]
What is understood as "development" contains as well a strong element of quasi-corporatist thought. A tempering of "excessive inequalities between poor and rich" is to be accomplished by the integration of all into the running of businesses through intermediate structures. Structures such as peasants' and workers' unions are to be thought of in terms of representation and participation in businesses. "All of the sectors of society, but in this case, principally the social-economic sphere, should, because of justice and brotherhood, transcend antagonisms in order to become agents of national and continental development" (Justice, 13).
In contrast to this, the liberationist model denounces the political-economic model now in place as "institutionalized violence", which must be "conquer[ed] by means of a dynamic action of awakening (concientización) and organization of the popular sectors" (Peace, 16, 18).The more conservative bishops at Medellin continued to see themselves as the protectors of the masses, while the poor masses were being encouraged to become literate and take control of their own destiny. Such literacy and mass action was fostered by the publication in Brazil of Paulo Friere's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and given support in the Council's document on education (8).[8]
Gustavo Gutiérrez, the author of A Theology of Liberation (1973), sees the tension in the documents of Medellin as arising in the bishops' attempt to reach all Latin American communities, no matter where they stood, and begin introducing more liberationist views.[9]
^Schultenover, David (15 May 2015). 50 Years On: Probing the Riches of Vatican II. Liturgical Press. p. 323. ISBN978-0-8146-8326-2. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
^ abAmerica, The Bishops of Latin (1968). "The Medellin Statement". New Blackfriars. 50 (582): 72–78. doi:10.1111/j.1741-2005.1968.tb07710.x. ISSN 1741-2005.
^"Quadragesimo Anno (May 15, 1931) | PIUS XI". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
^Mainwaring, Scott; Scully, Timothy, eds. (2003). Christian Democracy in Latin America: Electoral Competition and Regime Conflicts. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. p. 81. ISBN0-8047-4598-6.
^Luciani, Rafael (2018). "Medellín Fifty Years Later: From Development to Liberation". Theological Studies. 79 (3): 566–589. doi:10.1177/0040563918784765. ISSN 0040-5639. S2CID 171507447.
^Dickey, Christopher (1983-03-05). "Pope Heckled During Mass in Nicaragua". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
^ abWilliam T. Cavanaugh. ""The Ecclesiologies of Medellin and the Lessons of the Base Communities"" Cross Currents Vol. 44 Iss. 1 (1994)
^Gutiérrez, Gustavo. A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation. Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 1988. Print.
December 15, 2023
second, episcopal, conference, latin, america, bishops, conference, held, 1968, medellín, colombia, follow, second, vatican, council, which, adapted, creative, latin, american, context, took, theme, documents, church, present, transformation, latin, america, l. The Second Episcopal Conference of Latin America was a bishops conference held in 1968 in Medellin Colombia as a follow up to the Second Vatican Council which it adapted in a creative way to the Latin American context 1 It took as the theme for its 16 documents The Church in the Present Transformation of Latin America in the Light of the Council with a focus on the poor and oppressed in society 2 It recognized that the social situation demands an efficacious presence of the Church that goes beyond the promotion of personal holiness by preaching and the sacraments 3 The bishops agreed that the church should take a preferential option for the poor and gave their approval to Christian base communities in which the poor might learn to read by reading the Bible The goal of the bishops was to liberate the people from the institutionalized violence of poverty They maintained that poverty and hunger were preventable Medellin Colombia where the Conference took place in 1968 Contents 1 History 2 Tension in Medellin documents 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory editIn 1931 Pope Pius XI had put forward a vague plan for a sort of moderate corporatism However he also pushed for both Catholic and secular labor unions Though these unions were likely more akin to medieval guilds in the Pope s vision 4 unions at this time were beginning to be associated with workers rights and class struggles By the 1950s and 1960s Christian Democratic parties and Catholic labor associations were on the rise 5 Members were tasked with bringing Christian values and principles into public life Papal teachings emphasized the re Christianizing of society based on cooperation for the common good While the Christian Democratic Parties began advertising their Third Way as an alternative to both capitalism and socialism a divide formed within the Christian Democratic Parties between the liberationists and the moderate conservatives who were in control The Latin American Episcopal Council Spanish Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano also known as CELAM organized the conference in Medellin in order to give direction to the Church in Latin America In an introductory statement the bishops wrote 2 The difficult progress towards development and integration in Latin America could become an important catalyst in the process of unification to which the whole human race is converging today The upheaval we are experiencing demands new attitudes of us so that we can carry through an urgent global and profound reform of structures The reform movement drew on the influence of Paulo Freire widely regarded as the greatest literacy teacher of the region along with Father Camilo Torres and Bartolome de Las Casas It allowed for the poor to object to the hegemony and hierarchy they had been subjected to for the past centuries Instead of accepting only what they were given the people could now demand more like soup kitchens day care co ops neighborhood organizations higher wages better medical care and greater self respect The bishops and religious sisters who took part in this effort were hoping that the religious fervor of the region would help make the result extremely powerful They rejected for Latin America the model of development imposed by international organizations along with the national governments and economically powerful groups The poor were to become active agents in the political and economic spheres Bishop Dom Helder Camara called for a structural revolution which would allow for integral development and the full flourishing of every human person Pope Paul VI had spoken of just insurrection and the possible use of violent rebellion in certain situations 6 The Medellin Conference in 1968 opened the way for the development of liberation theology and endorsed the formation of base communities under lay leaders approved by the pastor As base communities greatly multiplied critics would complain of Marxist ideology and propensity toward violent confrontation In 1978 Pope John Paul II a staunch opponent of Communism in his native Poland diminished the influence of liberation theology by appointing in Latin America only conservative bishops Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger later Pope Benedict XVI as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was in charge of enforcing doctrine which largely opposed the theological interpretations and actions of the liberationists In 1983 the Pope visited Nicaragua and expressed his belief that there is a fundamental difference between Catholic and Sandinista ideology something which they vehemently deny 7 Tension in Medellin documents editIt was common to see the contradictory nature of the documents from the 1968 conference as the new liberationist movement overtaking the older developmentalist thought which has been described as follows 8 What is understood as development contains as well a strong element of quasi corporatist thought A tempering of excessive inequalities between poor and rich is to be accomplished by the integration of all into the running of businesses through intermediate structures Structures such as peasants and workers unions are to be thought of in terms of representation and participation in businesses All of the sectors of society but in this case principally the social economic sphere should because of justice and brotherhood transcend antagonisms in order to become agents of national and continental development Justice 13 In contrast to this the liberationist model denounces the political economic model now in place as institutionalized violence which must be conquer ed by means of a dynamic action of awakening concientizacion and organization of the popular sectors Peace 16 18 The more conservative bishops at Medellin continued to see themselves as the protectors of the masses while the poor masses were being encouraged to become literate and take control of their own destiny Such literacy and mass action was fostered by the publication in Brazil of Paulo Friere s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and given support in the Council s document on education 8 8 Gustavo Gutierrez the author of A Theology of Liberation 1973 sees the tension in the documents of Medellin as arising in the bishops attempt to reach all Latin American communities no matter where they stood and begin introducing more liberationist views 9 See also editLatin American liberation theology Latin American Episcopal Conference CELAM Fifth Episcopal Conference of Latin AmericaReferences edit Schultenover David 15 May 2015 50 Years On Probing the Riches of Vatican II Liturgical Press p 323 ISBN 978 0 8146 8326 2 Retrieved 23 September 2018 a b America The Bishops of Latin 1968 The Medellin Statement New Blackfriars 50 582 72 78 doi 10 1111 j 1741 2005 1968 tb07710 x ISSN 1741 2005 Jorge Mejia El pequeno Concilio de Medellin Criterio 41 1968 688 Quadragesimo Anno May 15 1931 PIUS XI www vatican va Retrieved 2019 12 03 Mainwaring Scott Scully Timothy eds 2003 Christian Democracy in Latin America Electoral Competition and Regime Conflicts Stanford California Stanford University Press p 81 ISBN 0 8047 4598 6 Luciani Rafael 2018 Medellin Fifty Years Later From Development to Liberation Theological Studies 79 3 566 589 doi 10 1177 0040563918784765 ISSN 0040 5639 S2CID 171507447 Dickey Christopher 1983 03 05 Pope Heckled During Mass in Nicaragua Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved 2019 12 03 a b William T Cavanaugh The Ecclesiologies of Medellin and the Lessons of the Base Communities Cross Currents Vol 44 Iss 1 1994 Gutierrez Gustavo A Theology of Liberation History Politics and Salvation Maryknoll N Y Orbis Books 1988 Print Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Second Episcopal Conference of Latin America amp oldid 1162051707, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
