Puebla (1979) and Aparecida (2007): Mary in the evangelization of Latin America

## Latin American Episcopal Conferences and Mariology

The Latin American Episcopal Conferences of Medellín (1968), Puebla (1979), Santo Domingo (1992), and especially Aparecida (2007) have dedicated significant sections to mariology, offering a nuanced understanding of Mary’s role in the inculturation of Christianity across the American continent. The Aparecida document, presided over by Benedict XVI but drafted under the leadership of then-Cardinal Bergoglio (future Pope Francis), serves as a foundational reference for Pope Francis’ mariological perspective.

### Puebla Conference (1979), III General Conference

The III General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in Puebla, Mexico (January 27 – February 13, 1979), chaired by the newly elected John Paul II, dedicated sections 282-303 to Mary under the title “Santa Maria, Mãe da Igreja” (Saint Mary, Mother of the Church). The document presents a distinctly Latin American perspective:

> **”In Latina América, Maria amatur sub multis nominibus: Guadalupe Mexicana, Caridad del Cobre Cubana, Aparecida Brasilense, Lujan Argentina, Cosita Linda Venezuelana, Veracruz Boliviana. Hi tituli mariani non separant nos, revelantque diversitate culturarum unitatem fidei in qua Maria omnium populorum Mater est”**
>
> (“In Latin America, Mary is loved under many names: Guadalupe of Mexico, Caridad del Cobre of Cuba, Aparecida of Brazil, Lujan of Argentina, Cosita Linda of Venezuela, Veracruz of Bolivia. These Marian titles do not separate us, but reveal the unity of faith in which Mary is Mother of all peoples.”)

The document introduces the concept of “religiosidade popular” (popular religiosity) into Latin American theological discourse, which will be further developed by Aparecida and Francis in *Evangelii Gaudium*. Devotion to Mary, including pilgrimages, novenas, and romarias (processions), is recognized as a genuine expression of popular faith, not a relic of superstition to be eradicated.

### Aparecida Conference (2007), V General Conference

The V General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate (Aparecida, Brazil, May 13-31, 2007), chaired by Benedict XVI with Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (future Francis) as the main drafter, produced the most comprehensive mariological document from Latin America. Sections 264-272 are dedicated to Mary.

> **”Maria, in nobiscum esto, Mater América Latina! Tu nos demonstras quomodo populus pauper et nudus, sed cum cor accendens fide, possit cum Iesu in vitam novam transeendo. Maria, Mater Americae Latinae et Caribaei, esto pro nobis exemplum et adiutrix in itinere ad Christum Salvatorem”**
>
> (“Mary, stay with us, Mother of Latin America! You show us how a poor and naked people, yet with a heart aflame with faith, can pass with Jesus into a new life. Mary, Mother of Latin America and the Caribbean, be for us an example and help on our journey to Christ the Savior.”)

## The “Continent of Hope”

Aparecida presents Latin America as the “**Continent of Hope**” under Marian patronage. Mary is not merely popular devotion; she is the theological sign that God is with the poor, the small, and those without a voice in the global geopolitical scene.

## Missionary Discipleship

The key concept of Aparecida, **”missionary discipleship”**, is developed from a Marian perspective: Mary is the first **”missionary disciple”**:

* **Disciple** of the Word (Luke 1:38)
* **Missionary** of the Good News (Visitation to Elizabeth, Luke 1:39)
* **Mother** of the missionary Church (Pentecost, Acts 1:14)

## Aparecida and Pope Francis

The text of Aparecida was largely drafted under the coordination of Cardinal Bergoglio. When he was elected Pope in 2013, many saw *Evangelii Gaudium* as a **”universal application”** of the Aparecida document. Francis’ Marian theology, Mary as a close Mother, Mary as unraveler of knots, Mary as Mother of the people, has its direct matrix here.

## Inculturated Mariology vs Universal Mariology

The Latin American documents resolve a classic theological tension:

* **Universal Mariology:** Mary as a dogma of the universal Church (Theotokos, Immaculate Conception, Assumption)
* **Inculturated Mariology:** Mary as Guadalupe, Aparecida, Caridad del Cobre – incarnate in local cultures

The solution: these two dimensions are not contradictory; universal Mariology **incarnates** itself in local cultures, and popular titles are legitimate expressions of the single Mother of God.

## Further Reading

* Mariology
* *Evangelii Gaudium*
* *Aparições Marianas: Magistério de Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fátima e Aparecida*
* *Marialis Cultus*
* *Amoris Laetitia*