Una comunidad de discípulos misioneros. Líneas eclesiológicas de Aparecida

Abstract

Ecclesiology, understood as a critical reflection on the Church with regard to its meaning and mission, must be a permanent exercise in the life of the Christian community. In the present article, the author begins his reflection with consideration of the ecclesiological lines that have dominated the documents of the General Conferences of the Latin American episcopate, especially the Fifth and latest Conference held in Aparecida, Brazil, in 2007. The present article points out the principal, ber ecclesiological lines of the conclusive document of the Conference and, at a second moment, highlights the more specific accents of that ecclesiology, attempting to explain them. Following this, the author then briefly treats two particular themes as deserving of ongoing reflection, taking the document of Aparecida as their starting point. Finally, the author sketches out, as a kind of epilogue, an ecclesiological exploration that takes into consideration some of the intuitions in the document that, according to the author, are still pending further reflection.