María Rosa Lorbés © Progressio

The Latin American and Caribbean church, which represents 43 per cent of the world's Catholics, returned to the roots of the gospel and reaffirmed itself on its path while responding creatively to current challenges at the 5th General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate in May, writes María Rosa Lorbés.

In their official message from the assembly in Aparecida, Brazil to the people of God and to all men and women of goodwill in Latin America, the bishops commit to 'maintaining our preferential and evangelical option for the poor with renewed vigour'.

Benedict XVI's inaugural speech affirmed that the Church is called upon to be 'the advocate of justice and defender of the poor' in the face of 'intolerable social and economic inequalities', which 'are an obvious disgrace'. The bishops - inspired by the Pope's speech - said that 'the preferential option is implicit in the simple faith of Christ… This option is born of our faith in Jesus Christ, the God made man, who made himself our brother (cf. Hebrews 2:11-12).'

For them there is no doubt over the essential and fundamental nature of this option for a Christian. Similarly, Progressio's partner in Peru, Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas, where I work as director of Signos (Signs) magazine was founded in 1974 by theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez and a group of professional Catholics who wanted to contribute to the process of integral freedom and human development in Peru from the Christian perspective of a preferential option for the poor.

The bishops endorsed the path taken by the Latin American church by reaffirming the see-judge-act method used in Puebla (1979) and Medellín (1968). The document's praise of base ecclesial communities, or grassroots Christian communities, is significant: 'In the ecclesial experience of Latin America and the Caribbean, the base ecclesial communities have often acted as schools that train followers and missionaries of the Lord. The generous devotion of so many of their members, who have even spilt their blood, is proof of this... Deeply-rooted in the heart of the world, [the base ecclesial communities] are privileged spaces for the community experience of faith, sources of fraternity and solidarity, an alternative to the current society founded on selfishness and on ruthless competition.'

But the message from Aparecida is not just about the reaffirmation of a path. It also gives new theological and pastoral emphasis on issues such as the appreciation of indigenous and afroamerican cultures and the explicit commitment made by the church to defend their rights. It includes a pastoral concern for protection of the environment, the challenge of ecumenicism and of inter-religious dialogue, and the urgent call to 'listen to the often silenced cry of women who are subjected to many forms of exclusion, and to violence in all its forms and at all stages of their lives. Amongst them, women who are poor, indigenous or of African descent have suffered a double marginalisation. There is a pressing need for all women to be able to participate fully in ecclesial, family, cultural, social and economic life, creating spaces and structures that favour a greater degree of inclusion.'

This concern is characterised by the phrase 'the faces of the poor'. The bishops state: 'Globalisation has caused the emergence of a greater number of poor in our countries. With special attention and in continuity with the previous General Conferences, we fix our gaze on the faces of the newly excluded: migrants, victims of violence, displaced people and refugees, victims of people trafficking and kidnappings, missing people, those ill with HIV and chronic illnesses, people addicted to drugs, elderly people, children who are victims of prostitution, pornography and violence or child labour, abused women, victims of violence, exclusion and of trafficking for sexual exploitation, people with different abilities, large groups of unemployed people, those excluded by technological illiteracy, people who live on the streets of major cities, indigenous people and people of African descent, farmers without land and miners.'

In response, I believe we must let ourselves be questioned by Him in depth, and to ask ourselves, in a climate of spiritual reflection, how faithful we are to the voice of the Lord, how attentive we are to the new signs of the times and to what extent we live in solidarity with the poor. Perhaps, as a first step, it would be good to read the paragraph in which the bishops seriously examine the ecclesial conscience and lament 'our weak experiences of the preferential option for the poor'. For both people and institutions, sincere self-criticism is always a good first step towards finding fresh motivation to continue the journey.

María Rosa Lorbés is director of Signos (Signs) magazine, published by Progressio's partner, Instituto Bartolomé de las Casas, in Lima, Peru. This column is an edited translation of an article in the June 2007 edition.