The “Salamanca Process” Origins, Meaning and Implementation of a Dominican Theological-Pastoral Category

This article offers a brief presentation of the theological-pastoral category “Salamanca Process” or “Salamanca-New World Process,” pointing out its development in the last General Chapters of the Order of Preachers, and trying to clarify its meaning and its possible forms of implementation. This category expresses some distinctive traits of the Dominican spiritual and intellectual tradition - going back to St. Dominic himself, in which study is understood at the service of the preaching of grace. The article intends to offer an initial and fragmentary response to questions posed by some Dominicans who seek a greater clarification of this notion in order to better understand and participate more actively in this initiative. The text deals with the following points: 1) The development of this category in the General Chapters of the Order of Preachers from 2013 to 2022; 2) The School of Salamanca and its dialogue with the preachers of the “New World” in the 16th century as a founding analogy of this category; 3) Some fundamental notes that should allow to perceive the complex and at the same time specific reality of this category and that should be present for an adequate understanding and implementation of the “Salamanca Process.”