«A New Genre of Civic Literature» for Church Reform Theological Significance of International Reports on Abuse

Resumo

This contribution highlights, first, the novelty, relevance and variety of existing non-ecclesial interdisciplinary International reports that analyse the Catholic Church, its self-understanding, its organizational praxis at different levels, and the possible causes and consequences of the abuse phenomenon. These reports ex- press, to a large extent, the experiences and voices of the victims. Second, this essay illustrates a transformation in the theological methodology that helps to answer the question about the meaning of these reports. As a third element, this article highlights how this modus procedendi was applied in the encyclical Laudato Si. And Fourth, it shows that at Vatican II this way of proceeding was proposed to rethink the constitution of the Church, and not only the themes of the so-called Social Doctrine. Finally, the conclusion of the article provides reflections that high- light the theological significance of this «new genre of civic literature». Therefore, these international reports pose an inescapable challenge to Church governance and theological studies.