April 01, 2008

Visiting Jesuit to Talk About the Crisis in Latin American Churches

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Jeffrey Klaiber, S.J., visiting Jesuit and professor of history at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, will give a presentation titled “The Latin American Church Today: Internal Crises and Challenges for the Future” on Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross.

Fr. Klaiber will be speaking about the emergence of dynamic lay movements in the Latin American church. These movements have been especially evident in Base Ecclesial Communities, adult catechesis, and the theology of liberation. Although Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed these movements when he addressed the bishops of Latin America in Brazil last May, conservative Catholics continue to pose a threat to the new Latin American church. At the same time, Catholics in Latin America are learning positive lessons from the Evangelical churches, due to some promising ecumenical developments.
 
A native of the mid-west, Fr. Klaiber, has taught at the University of Peru in Lima, for over 30 years. As a teacher and a writer he is interested in religion and politics. He is the author of several books on the Church in South America, including Religion and Revolution in Peru (1977), The Church in Peru (1988), and The Church, Dictatorships, and Democracy in Latin America (1998). He is currently working on a new book on the history of the Jesuits in Latin America.

For additional information contact Cristal Perriello at 508.793.2419