Katecheza latynoamerykańska w świetle II Konferencji CELAM-u

Abstract

The Church in Latin America joined the post-Vatican stream of renewal through the 2nd Conference of the Council of Latin American Episcopates (CELAM). The Conference was called in 1968 with the purpose of implementing the ideas of the Vatican Council, critically evaluating the way in which the Church is present on that continent and analysing Latin American reality in the light of the Gospel. The final documents of the Conference, although they do touch on current problems of Latin America, have, above all, a pastoral character. The 2nd Conference of CELAM started from an analysis of reality and carried on to identify and solve basic problems such as: justice, peace, hunger, exploitation, progress, etc., which are the signs of the time for the Church in Latin America. Such a sign of the time is, most of all, a desire for and efforts towards the elevation of man and the essential liberation which, in a way, permeates all the other kinds. By raising the problem of liberation, the Conference pointed to the inner aspect of liberation, i.e. to the necessity of shaping “the new man”. Consequently catechesis, according to the documents of the Conference, should lead to conversion. Since both a man’s conversion and his answering God’s call take place in the context of a specific environment, this is why the renewed catechesis adopts a positive attitude its problems. By its very nature this catechesis draws attention to “a man-in-a-situation”, i.e. to a man himself and his environment in order to offer him, by the service of the Word, full liberation accomplished in Jesus Christ. In this way the catechesis will contribute to changing social relations and the environment. Such catechesis is not, however, free from certain dangers, such as horizontalism or a certain liberalization of the catechesis.