Abstract:
This article aims at analyzing the actions of the Catholic Church and the formation of Grass-roots Ecclesial Communities in the Baixada Fluminense region during the Dictatorship (1964-85). In disputes over the memory of the Dictatorship (1964-88), the Catholic Church appears almost exclusively associated with its progressive wing and resistance to the military regime. In this interpretative key, the Grass-roots Ecclesial Communities are seen as an expression of the victory of a progressive project, and not as a result of a consensus on the need to expand the participation of lay people for the expansion of the Catholic faith in Brazilian territory. It seeks to understand the activities of Grass roots Ecclesial Communities during the Dictatorship based on the dialogue with the most recent historiography on the subject and with new historical sources.
Keywords:
Military Dictatorship
;
Catholic Church
;
Basic Ecclesial Communities
;
Baixada Fluminense