CELAM

Definition

The Conferencia Episcopal Latinoamericana (CELAM) – Latin American Bishops’ Conference – established in 1955, represents 22 national Roman Catholic bishops’ conferences in the Western Hemisphere. Its aim is to coordinate the work of the Catholic Church in Latin America and the Caribbean; adapt to its contexts the reforms of the Second Vatican Council; promote creative strategies for spreading the Catholic faith; and support innovative approaches to social, political, economic, and cultural challenges. CELAM’s General Assemblies in Medellin, Colombia (1968); Puebla, Mexico (1979); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1992); and Aparecida, Brazil (2007), resulted, despite severe internal and external disputes, in affirming the church’s “preferential option for the poor,” the concept of “structural sin,” the pastoral importance of “ecclesial base communities,” and the theological/pastoral method “to see, to judge, to act,” all elements which are associated with liberation...