O Povo, a religião e a política: experiências pastorais e participação popular em bairros de Andradina/SP (1976 – 1988)

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the appropriations of the Second Vatican Council guidelines and the reflections derived from it by the Catholic Church and residents of Andradina neighborhoods between 1976 and 1988. The Biblical Circles and the construction of the Jesus Bom Pastor Community Center in the Andradina's neighborhood Pereira Jordão, favored the emergence of the Ecclesial Base Communities (EBCs) and the Church's approach to the peripheral neighborhoods through pastoral actions and coordination of the Jesus Bom Pastor Administrative Institute (JBPAI), promoting popular participation in political actions. The development of the pastoral work with the residents enabled the creation of Friends of Neighborhoods Societies (FNSs), which sought to transform the reality through community, cooperative and religious life. Through political articulations with the Municipal Government and City Council, it was elaborated a Popular Budget (PB) with the pretension of intensifying the participation of the residents in the political decisions of Andradina. In addition, the objective was to follow the movements of the Andradina women in the struggle for participation in the Constituent Assembly, through the Movement of Women and the Regional Movement of Women.