Abstract
In this article, we analyze the role of the Pastoral de Favelas in the reorganization of the community movement of favelas in Rio de Janeiro from an internal debate of the Catholic Church, which, under the strong influence of the Liberation Theology, applied into practice the decision of the II and III Episcopal Conferences in Latin America, in which the “Preferential Option for the Poor” began to guide the action of the Church, including the creation of pastoral care. In Rio de Janeiro, the Pastoral de Favelas marked a generation of activists, slum dwellers or not, who found in it a welcoming umbrella so that they could have a role in the community movement considered by them as more questioning of the structures of society and with transformation of these structures through the awareness and mobilization of slum dwellers.
Keywords:
Pastoral de Favelas; Community movement; Favelas; Liberation Theology; Redemocratization in Brazil