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The Primer Encuentro Latinoamericano de Cristianos por el Socialismo was a conference organized by a group of 80 Chilean priests (known as "Las Ochenta" and later as "Cristianos por el Socialismo"). The primary goals of the conference were to unite Latin American Christian groups across the church's hierarchical and denominational divides and to foster the integration of Christian and socialist ideologies. The PELCS records consist of reports, correspondence, publications, and other materials relating to the conference, including essays on the conference's 10 themes: 1. Underdevelopment, dependence and the transition to socialism in Latin America; 2. Mobilization of the masses; 3. Conditions for a strategic alliance between Christians and Marxists; 4. Ideology and religion, cultural revolution and the Christian faith; 5. Class struggle, ethical positions and obstacles for Christians; 6. Christian institutions and ideology, a critical evaluation; 7. Political action and faith, liberation theology; 8. Popular parties, unions, and pragmatic Christianity; 9. Field-labor movements and church initiatives; 10. The middle class, women in the revolution, and the Christian factor.