Transverslities between catholic conservatism and progressiveness: Geraldo de Proença Sigaud, Helder Pessoa Camara and the Second Vatican Council

Abstract

An assembly with the dimensions of the Second Vatican Council necessarily would agglutinate diversified chains and perspectives. In Brazilian’s episcopy the heterogeneity was also a mark. Given this data, this article was written with two big goals: identify transversalities on the forms of thinking and acting of Proença Sigaud and Helder Camara, from the big themes proposed for the Second Vatican Council, and analyze affinities/convergences and oppositions/divergences existent between the positions, respectively progressives and conservatives, especially since the answers (vota) that  were elaborated to the solicited consultations at the ante preparatory phase; related to the work, there are discussions referring to the groups which they associated themselves with and the articulations established, as well as theirs epistolates and the questions on them treated. Based on bibliographic and documental researches – realized, this, on Institute Helder Camara’s archive and at Diamantina’s Archdiocesan Curia – with the article it was possible to reinforce the understanding that the diversity of doctrinal and pastorals perspectives is uncontested fact, even if safeguarded the unity; besides that, the transversality highlighted, from the approach of determined socio political and religious themes, the existence of similar preoccupations that implied, at mostly antagonistics positions from the two, equal effort for the adoption of measures, even though habitually disparate, concerning the way of analyzing and dealing with them.