An encounter of Christianity with the native religions of Ibero-America

Abstract

Maria Van Doren, a nun and theologian originally from Flanders, who has been living as a missionary in Mexico for several decades, reflects in a very personal way on the encounter between Christianity and the native religions that remain in the sociological substratum of Ibero-America and, more particularly, of Mexico. Taking as a reference the way in which evangelisation took place several centuries ago and the different ways in which the Christian religion was established and assumed by the people, the author points out some of the vitiated realities of these religious ways and advocates a new way of approaching them that allows for a re-evangelisation in which the encounter between native religiosity and the most authentic aspects of Christianity is possible. Through her reflection, María Van Doren seeks to ensure that inculturation, the incarnation of the Gospel and the message of Jesus, finds ways to become a reality in the culture of the Latin American people, both in its values and in its possible anti-values.