Medellín after 40 years – the Parish, all the Way from Medellín to Aparecida

Abstract

The title of this article deals with a short but interesting survey of the “parish” idea within the reflection of the Church gathered in the Latin American Conferences of Bishops in Medellín, Puebla, Santo Domingo and Aparecida, as well in the Synod of the Americas. Leaving behind the preconciliar reductionism still present in the Conference held in Rio de Janeiro whose reflection on the parish centered solely on the role of the parish priest, the following meetings of the bishops considered attentively the community of communities, the parish as the center of the religious experience, the communal conviviality, the biblical and doctrinal formation, and the missionary commitment of the whole Church. The purpose of this article is to set clearly the importance given to the parish structure for the renewal of our status as disciples and missionaries.