Vatican II and Puebla on church and politics

Abstract

The Conference of the Latin American bishops, held in Puebla between January 27th and February 13th,1:97,9, has been described as a major 'event'.' '!\his is to bring .out that something really significant,cant and so, worth noting, has happened on that Occasion. Vatican ]I has also been generally described in similar terms. Indeed, there is a striking similarity between the two. Vatican II and Puebla represent a Church trying to discover itself; to learn about its weaknesses and potentialities and to find out in which direction it has to move in order to establish the right relationship with the world. But there are differences which make a comparison between the two quite an interesting and an :intellectually useful exercise. As a Council representing the whole Church, Vatican II takes cognizance of the general. features of the socio.,political situation in various ·countries. Nevertheless, the Council speaks through representatives of local Churches who cannot possibly "feel" deep enough each other's concrete problems and life-situations. It adopts on several subjects a rather general viewpoint or a viewpoint derived from the particular experience of the Church in Europe after the war.' Hence, what it says sometimes lacks that 'lively interest in studying specific problems and in suggesting, at least provisional, solutions; it sounds more like a treatise than a truly prophetic voice which people outside European culture ,can recognize as a word addressed specifically to them.