Contributions of the 'Instituto Latinoamericano de Misionologia' to the Edinburgh 2010 study process

The Instituto Latinamericano de Misionologia, which is part of the Universidad Católica Boliviana, Cochabamba, in Bolivia, is one of six institutions invited by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church to participate in the Edinburgh 2010 study process. What follows is a summary (translated by Maria Arantxa Aguado) of their contribution with links to papers they have submitted which may be downloaded by kind permission of the Institute. The papers are in Spanish.

Summary of contributions 

According to the commitment assumed by the Institute, we are sending five contributions for reflection, debate, and enhancement of the Edinburgh 2010 event.

We announced that our contributions would be related to two of the proposed Study Process Themes. These are:

Taking these two areas into consideration, we the Missiology Institute invited several persons involved in missionary reflection and praxis to participate in this study. We are sending now the voluntary contributions that we have received. They concentrate mainly in two thematic areas:

1. Main sources for an ecumenical-missionary Spirituality from Latin America

• "The Dream of Unity in Bolivia", by Moisés Morales  (La Paz, Bolivia)
  This is an unedited reflection written for Edinburgh by the former Secretary of the Commission on Ecumenism of the Bishops Conference of Bolivia. After laying basic foundations on mission and ecumenism, he proposes the task of “formation of ecumenical persons” as a venue to contribute in a real and committed way to ecumenism of life.
• "Catholic and Pentecostal proclamation of the Gospel. Knowledge, appraisal and mission guidelines", by Calixto Salvatierra Moreno  (Cochabamba, Bolivia)
  This is a reflection inspired in the thesis presented by the author, a Franciscan religious, in 2008. It is an in-depth study about the development of the Gospel proclamation in Bolivia on the part of Pentecostals and Catholics. It is a very useful study to understand the missionary paradigm that guides them in the Bolivian context.
• "Convergences and divergences between Catholics and Pentecostals", by Diego Irarrázabal (Santiago, Chile)
  This is a study not initially prepared for Edinburgh but that fits the framework of the study process. It deepens Pentecostal-Catholic relations in Chile, mainly in Santiago. It is a critical examination of both from the point of view of the integral liberation of the human being in popular environments. It points out the fact that those convergences-divergences do not always promote an authentic faith experience.

2. Profile of the authentic missionary-disciple for Latin America today

• "The indigenous priest in the aboriginal church", by Mario Pérez Pérez (Mexico)
  A contribution specifically prepared for this study process. From the perspective of the author's indigenous Christian theology, as an indigenous priest, he proposes a renewed profile of the priest as disciple-missionary who draws from and is nurtured by all the richness of his ancestral culture as well as the Christian tradition. It is a contribution from the broad horizon of Mexican pluralism today.
• “A mission  for and from the youth”, by Rosauro López (Cochabamba)
  This is an unedited contribution to Edinburgh 2010. The reflection is focused in the young population in Bolivia, including broader Latin American sensitivity. It proposes to consider the youth not as receivers of mission but as missionary subjects and agents -- that bring challenges for church procedures and structures today.

We express our thanks once again for the opportunity offered to us for contributing to this important event and we hope that our contribution may fulfill the expectations. We are available for further clarifications regarding our texts.

Download this summary in Spanish here.

Download the whole contribution as a single file here.