LOCAL CHURCH AND SMALL COMMUNITIES: A STUDY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE REFLECTIONS OF THE LATIN AMERICAN EPISCOPATE

Abstract

This article aims to study the relationship between the local Church and small communities, based on the reflections of the Latin American Episcopate in the post-council. The methodology used follows the steps of historical descrip­tion, analysis and systematization of the ecclesiological-pastoral elements of the topic in question. The study is divided into three sections. In the first, the Latin American history of the community renewal is described considering the General Conferences of Medellín, Puebla, Santo Domingo and Aparecida. In the second section, the theology of the local Church is analyzed in light of the Second Vatican Council and the cultural aspects of the Church, rescued by the Conferences men­tioned above. In the third section, the intuitions of the Latin American Episcopate are explained regarding the elaboration of a theology of the Latin American lo­cal Church, based on the ecclesiastical experiences of small communities. In this theology, aspects of inculturation of the Gospel, synodality, Christian initiation and service to the poorest stand out. Finally, it is stated that small communities contribute largely to the configuration of a theology of the local Church which is genuinely Latin American.

KEYWORDS: Small community. Local Church. Episcopate. Inculturation. Latin America.