Família e divórcio no Brasil, sob olhar de Dom Carlos Costa, na década de 1940

Abstract

The present work intends to analyze the theological conceptions defended by Bishop Carlos Costa on family, celibacy and divorce, in the context of the end of the Second War and the “Estado Novo” (New State) in Brazil. For such a theological construction, the political, ideological and religious context in Brazil in the 1940s is presented, constructing a biographical narrative of Dom Carlos Costa and demonstrating his theological thinking favorable to divorce, as opposed to the indissolubility of marriage advocated by the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church.Regarding the relevance of the theological exploration of the proposed theme, it is recalled that in the present century, the traditional framework of the family has undergone marked changes, given the social transformations which are also reflected in the new configurations. In Brazil of the 21st century, even the judiciary have updated their concepts to address the issue. In an increasingly diverse and pluralistic Brazilian society, religious means are presented as spaces of resistance in the acceptance of differences. The position of Bishop Carlos Costa, in admitting divorce and second marriage, at least in the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, showed that all are children of God and therefore, unconditionally loved by God, source of mercy. Costa also showed that it is not for religious to exclude. To them, it is the task of receiving, according to the mercy of God, to become a privileged space where the wounded can find acceptance, forgiveness, healing and restoration of their lives. Therefore, the role of the Christian religious leader and the Church or congregation he or she conducts have the mission of caring for the emotional and spiritual care of couples who are suffering in a failed marriage, renewing hopes and a chance to rebuild a new personal, social and community life. The present dissertation will be developed in three chapters: the first will address the historical trajectory of Dom Carlos Duarte Costa within the scope of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil; The second chapter deals with the Sacrament of Matrimony in a historical-biblical perspective and the position of Dom Carlos Duarte Costa and the Roman Catholic Church before a second marriage; finally, the reconfiguration of the marriage according to Don Carlos, before the State and the Church, the divorce and the transformations in the family model.