The Previously Condemned Liberation Theology Movement is Back Liberation Theology is a political and theological movement which originated in Latin America. The movement interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in relation to a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. The term was coined in 1971 by the Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, widely regarded as the founder of the movement. He wrote one of the movements most famous books, “A Theology of Liberation”. It has been criticized as a Marxist interpretation of the gospel, focusing on freedom from material poverty and injustice rather than giving primacy to spiritual freedom. Both John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI condemned Liberation Theology. In a 1979 speech given to the Latin American bishops conference, John Paul II criticised the movement, saying this conception of Christ, as a political figure, a revolutionary, as the subversive of Nazareth, does not tally with the Churchs catechism”. In 1984, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued an Instruction on Liberation Theology entitled “Liberatis Nuntius”. In the document, Ratzinger condemned the movement, clarifying in unequivocal terms the Church’s position: “An analysis of the phenomenon of liberation theology reveals that it constitutes a fundamental threat to the faith of the Church.” More recently, on 7 March 2014, the Catholic News Agency published excerpts of an interview with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI conducted by an Italian newspaper, in which Benedict called Liberation Theology a “falsification of the Christian faith”. Referring to Liberation Theology, he said: It [Liberation Theology] was an error. Poverty and the poor were, without a doubt, set at the center of Liberation Theology, yet in a very specific perspective...It was said that it was not a question of help or of reforms, but rather of the great upheaval from which a new world would spring…the Christian faith was being used as a motor for this revolutionary movement, transforming it into a political force…A falsification of the Christian faith needed to be opposed precisely for the sake of the poor and in favor of the service rendered to them. What is wrong with Liberation Theology, and why did previous pontiffs condemn it? First, Liberation Theology was considered by many as a dangerous re-packaging of Marxism - the underlying philosophy behind the scourge of communism which has driven billions of people to atheism. Many statements written by Gutierrez in his book “A Theology of Liberation” were condemned by then Cardinal Ratzinger for their Marxist tone. Gutierrez went so far as to call for a “socialist society” to come to pass: Only a radical break with the present state of things, a profound transformation of the property system, the access to power by the exploited class, a social revolution that breaks up that dependence, will allow a different society, a Socialist society to come to pass. Another great error of the movement is that it puts liberation from earthly injustice as the topmost priority of Christianity; liberation from sin is de-emphasised. Then Cardinal Ratzinger, however, emphasised that sin, not human injustice or poverty, is the greatest evil: New Testament revelation teaches us that sin is the greatest evil, since it strikes man in the heart of his personality. The first liberation, to which all others must make reference, is that from sin…the most radical form of slavery is slavery to sin. Other forms of slavery find their deepest root in slavery to sin. That is why freedom in the full Christian sense, characterized by the life in the Spirit, cannot be confused with a license to give in to the desires of the flesh...it is significant that the term “freedom” is often replaced in Scripture by the very closely related term, “redemption”. Under Pope Francis, however, the Liberation Theology movement is making a dramatic comeback. Yes, this movement, described by previous pontiffs as a “fundamental threat to the faith of the Church”, is very much back in the spotlight. In early September 2013, the Vatican newspaper, LOsservatore Romano, published an interview with Gutierrez, an article written by Gutierrez himself, as well as two other articles praising his work - one of them by the current prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller. Archbishop Muller, a close friend of Gutierrez, supports the movement, saying: The Latin American ecclesial and theological movement known as ‘Liberation Theology’, which spread to other parts of the world after the Second Vatican Council, should in my opinion be included among the most important currents in 20th century Catholic theology.” One of Pope Francis’ earliest gestures was to invite Gutierrez himself to Rome. In their meeting in Rome on September 11, 2013, Francis and Gutierrez celebrated Mass together, then had breakfast. Not long after that meeting with Gutierrez, Pope Francis revived the stalled beatification case of another exponent of Liberation Theology - Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador assassinated in 1980. More recently, on February 20, 2014, Gutierrez was invited to speak in a high-profile event in the Vatican (which coincided with all the Cardinals of the world visiting the Vatican for the installation of 19 new Cardinals) - the launch of a book by Archbishop Muller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Some observers have also noted that the movement is close to becoming official doctrine of the Church under “Evangelii Gaudium”, the Pope’s first apostolic exhortation. The document sparked much controversy, particularly in the West for its condemnation of capitalism, with some conservative Americans, such as the famous US radio commentator Rush Limbaugh even saying that the Pope was preaching “pure Marxism”.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 04:10:05 +0000
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