Moral Theology and the 60th Anniversary of Vatican II

A Reflection on Post-Conciliar Developments in the Brazilian Context

Abstract

This article addresses the meaning of moral theology in the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of its conclusion. In the context of this momentous commemoration, it is important to reflect on the developments this area of theology has undergone, with its variations and implementations. It is known that Latin American theology, and Brazilian theology in particular, has contributed to the advancement of theological scholarship in terms of inductive and hermeneutic methodology and epistemology. The Second Vatican Ecumenical Council enabled the overcoming of a rigid neo-manualistic moral theology to one more personalistic and focused on the sources. In the Brazilian case, moral theology has been shaped by a return to the sources, but also within a context of varied socio-anthropological conditioning that has offered theologians a way of practicing moral theology more in tune with reality. This reflection will address this issue in three phases. The first will present moral theology in its historical nuances, with the major frameworks that guided the reflection. The second section will emphasize the place of Vatican II in the evolution of moral theology, with its own background to renewal. Finally, the last section will address the embryonic Brazilian moral-theological reflection, with its nuances and perspectives. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the unfolding of Vatican II, with its fruits and specific implications during its reception in non-Eurocentric contexts. The methodology used is hermeneutic, as it will interpret elements of the historiography of moral theology, including its sources and commentators.