Solidarity with the church of Latin America: The historical origins of the birth of Adveniat (1961-1965)

Abstract

On the eve of the Second Vatican Council (1963-1965) a series of initiatives were organized with the objective of coordinating the actions of the Catholic Church at national, regional and global levels. From this effort, important institutions were born for the future life of the Catholic Church like the financial organization to support the missions and the formation of the clergy, which received special attention from the Roman Curia. It was necessary to mobilize Catholics and their institutions in developed countries to show solidarity with the Third World Church. In 1961, the German episcopate created Adveniat, which collected money from the faithful German in Advent and, with it, subsidized the ecclesial and pastoral development of the Church in Latin America. Adveniat would quickly become one of the most important institutions for the Church in Latin America overseas. The aim of this article is to understand what were the ecclesial motivations that determined the birth of Adveniat, as well as the dynamism and discussions around investment priorities. The historical course addressed begins with the creation of Adveniat in 1961, and continues up to the end of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. It is a short but intense historical period. This is a documentary historical research that uses primary sources located in the Adveniat archives in Essen and the Archbishopric of Cologne in Germany.