Presentation

Abstract

José Comblin (1923-2011) is one of the most important figures in theology in Brazil and throughout Latin America. His classical European training, his missionary instinct, his perceptive sense of reality, his commitment to discerning the "signs of the times," his commitment to the poor and the transformation of society, his dedication to theological-pastoral formation in diverse places and environments, his keen and penetrating critical sense, his extensive theological production, and his intense involvement in the process of conciliar renewal of the Latin American Church explain the importance and impact of the life and work of this José, who became a Northeasterner, pitched his tent among us, and, from here in the Brazilian Northeast, helped to conceive and develop a new way of doing theology: "critical reflection on historical praxis in the light of the Word," as Gustavo Gutiérrez would say; theology with "the scent of the people and the street," with "the taste of flesh and people," as Francis would say.