In this article, Florida International University Professor Ana Maria Bidegain, a former leader of the JUC movement in Uruguay, traces the development of liberation theology in Latin America from its roots in the Young Christian Workers movement. We also present a more recent video in which she explains the relationship of Pope Francis and the Church in Latin America.
According to the summary, the paper “presents the historic process of the Latin American laity in this century, taking the case of Catholic Action, especially among the university youth.
“The author attempts to demonstrate the role played by these movements in the process of pastoral and theological renewal in recent years in Latin America.
The study consists of three parts:
1. The birth of Catholic Action as papal policy, signifying a break in the history of the Church through the participation of the laity in the apostolic hierarchy.
2. The implanting of Catholic Action in Latin America in the face of the development of social and political movements inspired by anarchism, socialism, and communism.
3. The transformation of Catholic Action and the birth of Liberation Theology.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE
Ana Maria Bidegain, From Catholic Action to Liberation Theology: The historical process of the laity in Latin America in the 20th century (Kellogg Institute, University of Notre Dame)
PHOTO
Ana Maria Bidegain / Florida International University / YouTube