Ecclesiological Investigations Network's 17th International Conference
Iglesias de los Pobres
Justice, Love, and Wisdom from the Margins
15–17 September 2027, Temuco, Chile


This conference will explore how Christians today understand the preferential option for the poor. Who are ‘the poor’ and what does it mean to be churches for, of, and with the poor? What theological significance does the moniker ‘Church of the poor’ hold? Pope Leo XIV has called the Church’s tradition of care for the poor “a beacon…of evangelical light” (Dilexi te, 103). The gathering centers on the question of poverty not as a social problem but as a transformative hermeneutical axis for the Church’s life. Not resting with discourse ‘about’ the poor, love invites us instead to take a theological and physical journey to the margins on a quest to learn.
Both English and Spanish will be working languages for the conference. The majority of the conference sessions will be held at the Catholic University of Temuco.
Esta conferencia explorará cómo los cristianos y cristianas de hoy entienden la opción preferencial por los pobres: ¿Quiénes son ‘los pobres’ y qué significa ser iglesias para, de y con los pobres? ¿Qué significado teológico tiene la denominación ‘Iglesia de los pobres’? El Papa León XIV ha llamado fervientemente al cuidado de los pobres como parte de la tradición de la Iglesia, concibiéndolos como ‘un faro… de luz evangélica’ (Dilexi te, 103). En este sentido, la conferencia se centrará en la cuestión de la pobreza no como un problema social, sino como un eje hermenéutico transformador para la vida de la Iglesia. Lejos de limitarse a un discurso ‘sobre’ los pobres, el amor nos invita a emprender un viaje teológico y físico hacia los márgenes para discernir colectivamente los signos de los tiempos.
La conferencia se desarrollará tanto en idioma castellano como inglés. Todas las sesiones se llevarán a cabo en dependencias de la Universidad Católica de Temuco, Chile.
Keynote Speakers

Claudia Leal
Claudia Leal holds a PhD in Moral Theology from the Accademia Alfonsiana in Rome. She served as a professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

Cezar Kuzma
Cezar Kuzma is currently a professor-researcher of the Graduate Program in Theology and the Theology Course at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) in Curitiba, Brazil.

Sofía Nicolasa Chipana Quispe
An Aymara from the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Her work focuses on the intersections of biblical studies, interculturality, and the dialogue between traditional knowledge and ancestral spiritualities.
Conference
Registration
Open until 1 July 2027.
$75
Reduced Registration
This registration type can be selected by:
- Students
- Part-time employed
- Retired
$150
Standard Registration
This registration type can be selected by:
- Tenure-track employed
- Full-time employed
- Teaching and Research Positions
- Students with full scholarships
$50
Graduate Student Registration
This registration type can be selected by:
- Graduate Students
Organizing Team
Who we are
Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network
Ecclesiological Investigations brings together quality research and inspiring debates in ecclesiology worldwide from a network of international scholars, research centres and projects in the field.


If you have questions or need some assistance please
Contact Us
The best way to reach us is via email info@temuco2027.ei-research.net, but you also have a contact form on the website that you can use.







