Abstract

SUAREZ, Ana Lourdes. Argentinean women religious living among the poor. Assessment and Challenges. Soc. relig. [online]. 2020, vol.30, n.53, pp.62-96. ISSN 0326-9795.

The article addresses the options of some women religious congregations that, following the option for the poor launched by the Medellin Document (1968), adopted a new way of community life known as inserted communities. It attempts to understand this alternative within the search of renovation many religious community were looking for due to critical crisis they were experiencing. The writing analyzes the process that led to the insertion alternative, the theological approaches that have been supporting it, its course over time, and its present situation in Argentina. I argue that embracing the new life meant indeed for many women religious a strong renewal that challenged their role both in society and in the Catholic Church. It was also a painful process, full of conflicts within the congregations. The revitalization that many congregations expected would come from adopting inserted communities drove in many cases to more frustration.

Keywords : Catholic religious field; women religious orders; poverty.