| dc.description.abstract | It is an observable phenomenon that Catholicism, globally, has suffered a bleeding in the
number of its faithful every year. Data from the 2010 Census, for example, demonstrate an
increasing trend in the levels of religious pluralism and diversity in Brazil, while the decrease,
year by year, in the total of those who declare themselves Catholics is attested. In the specialized
literature, there is also a discussion that points to an increase in the diversity of practices and
discourses in the Brazilian Catholic field, starting from the study of the observed subjectivities.
It is through the analysis of these phenomena that it is noticed, in some cases, the rupture of
some precepts of the Church's conservatism, which leads to promote a new present reflection
on the future of the Catholic Church in the country. It is proposed here to understand how the
pastoral strategies of the leaders of the Catholic Church in Brazil face the problem of the new
contemporary religious subjectivities of their faithful, which increasingly demonstrate the
autonomy of the subjects in the configuration of their faith, in an environment of great diversity
and at a time of growing religious plurality. This is done through documentary and
bibliographic analysis of the documents produced by the Confederation of Bishops of Brazil,
to guide Catholic parishes and communities in the different dioceses, which present themselves
pastorally as a reaction to a scenario where these typical contemporary phenomena are
punctuated. The study revealed that the role of the Church in this context is precisely to seek to
understand identities that are excluded or marginalized, showing the positive side that are often
hidden, or ignored by society. The opening of the Church to these new identities, allows to
place more hope within the communities, creating spaces to work their cultural, social and
religious conflicts, without losing respect for diversity, creating a healthy space of coexistence
without losing the identity of each one. one. Therefore, the General Guidelines for the
Evangelizing Action of the Church in Brazil are the way found to respond to the challenges of
a country that, in the second decade of this 21st century, is undergoing major changes in all
areas. In fact, there is a concern by the Catholic Church to show that missionaries who are not
based on community life are at risk of becoming lonely walkers, without existential references
for their work. | eng |
