The Puebla Conference: The Origins of Pope Francis’ Synodal Ecclesiology

Abstract This article aims to contribute to an intelligent examination of Pope Francis’ magisterium and to the development of post-conciliar Latin American theology which acquired its maturity during the third Episcopal Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean in Puebla, Mexico in 1979. Firstly, this article examines the genesis of the Puebla Conference: how it came about, and the social and ecclesiastical environment that inspired it. In the second and third parts, the contents of the Final Document are explored. The article focuses on the birth of the Theology of the People and on the synodal ecclesiology that is derived from it, two fundamental themes that advance post-conciliar ecclesiological discourse.