On the basis of contemporary historical experience of base communities in Brazil, the author enquires into the emergence and possible significance of another form of ecclesiastical organization than that born of the conquest and “romanization”. He proposes two models: the society Church and the community Church, examining their respective social functions. He enquires into the reasons for the appearance of this second model in Latin America today and the reasons for the opposition it engenders on the part of the Roman ecclesiastical centre. As an actor involved in the development of this Church, popular and base community inspired, he attempts to evaluate the religious and social implications.
