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Pope Francis and Liberation Theology Extended Essay Pope Francis and Liberation Theology Extended Essay – World Religions Candidate Number: kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk January 4, 2015 3,601 Words 1 ABSTRACT The essay will investigate the research question: Is Pope Francis a Liberation Theologian? The use of his biographies as well as other books and articles examining Liberation Theology will be used to complete the investigation. Pope Francis, the first pope in 1200 years from outside of Europe, has been accused by his critics of being a supporter of Liberation Theology. But he has also been accused of denouncing supporters of Liberation Theology to the civil authorities. In truth, Pope Francis (Cardinal Bergoglio) has a deep abiding love for the poor, but has no political leanings. His supporters suggest that Francis’ Jesuit training and his own experiences as a young priest in Chile are resulting in a focus on the poor, and greater inclusion of Third World peoples. Pope Francis’ service to the poor doesn’t over shadow his strong opposition to the violent teachings on Liberation Theologians, making him very different than those who developed the theology in the late 20th century. 161 Words 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 4 LIBERATION THEOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 5 POPE FRANCIS ............................................................................................................................................... 7 PROPONENTS AND DETRACTORS ................................................................................................................. 9 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 14 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................................ 15 3 INTRODUCTION Liberation Theology is the idea that the Church is responsible for relieving the oppressed from their oppression, even if that means violent opposition to civil authorities (Berryman, Boff, Ferm, Keen, Novak). Adherence to this theology grew most rapidly in Latin America in the late 20th century, much to the consternation of the Vatican. Catholic leadership took action to diminish its popularity and eradicate it from the Church’s official views. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to the papacy in 2013. He was the Archbishop of Buenos Aries, his birth place. Throughout his life he had always served the poor, because he had witnessed first-hand the struggles it brought (Piqué). Although he had a great affinity for the poor, Bergoglio felt a responsibility to support the Church leadership and complied with their official view of Liberation Theology. “Bergoglio was determined to curtail, or expunge from the order, those Jesuits who had embraced Liberation Theology to the point of working… with overtly political groups” (Vallely, Untying 191). He was focused solely on the religious aspect of the church. He wanted to help the poor, but had no interest in being a politician. His service to the less fortunate and upbringing in Latin America during tumultuous times has led to debate about his position on Liberation Theology. 4 LIBERATION THEOLOGY In the latter half of the 20th century a new developing theology grew in popularity throughout the Catholic Church in Latin America. Priests began to interpret scripture and spread the interpretation that it was the Church’s responsibility to assist in liberating all people from poverty and oppression. The theology gained support from many of the poor who wanted to take wealth and resources from the colonial upper class, even if it meant using violent force. The movement came to be known as the Theology of Liberation. In, Francis: A Pope for Our Time: The Definitive Biography, Rosales writes “In conceptual terms, the Liberation Theology doctrinarians considered the plight of the poor to be a sin that went beyond individual faults and became a collective sin” (74). This was significant evolution in the church because for centuries Latin America and the other non-Europeans did not have any of their own theological doctrines that were independent from the Vatican. They had always been advised and instructed, with regard to religious and political ideas, by the papacy and the rest of the Catholic hierarchy (Rosales 75). They believed that it was the Church’s responsibility to liberate these poor, oppressed “people from the ‘Institutionalized violence’ of poverty” (Chasteen 272). The movement originally gained attention in the late 1950s and early 1960s as ideas of and desires for wealth distribution became popular among the poorest peasants in Latin America. Some of its largest supporters were Gustavo Gutiérrez, a Peruvian priest and theologian, the Belgian-born Brazilian priest José Comblin, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero of El Salvador, Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff, Jesuit scholar Jon Sobrino, and Archbishop Helder Câmara of Brazil. Liberation Theology, as an idea, was solidified at the Conference of Latin American Bishops, held in 1968 in Medellín, Colombia. The bishops at the conference discussed how they saw poverty, hunger, and rampant disease as entirely preventable damage to human life. Chasteen writes that the bishops “agreed that the church should take a ‘preferential option for the poor’” (Chasteen 271). But as the popularity of the idea grew, it wasn’t given a name until 1972, when Gustavo Gutiérrez first called it “Liberation Theology.” Gutiérrez is credited with 5 being one of the principle founders of Liberation Theology in Latin America. In his book, A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation, written in 1973, he discussed the possibility of maintaining faith in an oppressive environment, and addressed how Christians should try to use their faith as a tool of liberation, rather than alienation (Rosales 74). While many priests and bishops practiced and preached about the greatness and duty of Liberation Theology, the Vatican and high clergy of the Roman Catholic Church were not as eager and they often criticized the movement’s avid followers. Opponents have called Liberation Theology “Christianized Marxism” because it encourages taking from the rich to give to the poor. Supporters were accused by the Vatican “of having a Marxist interpretation of the Gospel and ‘incorrect ideological reflection’” (Haynes 572). Some of the response from the Vatican was exaggerated, but there were significant similarities between the religious and Marxist revolutionaries. In his book, Born in Blood & Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, Chasteen writes: They [religious and Marxist revolutionaries] shared a sense of emergency and the basic premise that Latin America required sweeping fundamental change. They were equally committed to relieving the plight of the poor. Both believed that existing power structures were stacked against them. Despite the many disagreements between Marxist and Christian ideologies, these revolutionaries could logically see each other as potential allies. (Chasteen 272) The greatest difference between the two beliefs was the rejection of Marxist atheism by Liberation Theologians. However, Liberation Theologians relied heavily on the causes of oppression and poverty in the Third World as analyzed by Marxists. As Liberation Theology’s popularity grew in the 1970s, the Catholic Church immediately began to assert its more conservative viewpoint. The detractors of Liberation Theology have never been a majority in Latin America, but that didn’t stop them from passionately and eloquently stating their views. They had support from Europe, and “by the late 1970s, a new pope, John Paul II, threw the power of the Vatican fully against them” (Chasteen 273). Pope John Paul II was raised in a Communist Poland and as a result saw the damage Communism 6 caused his community. He has been described as “inexorably opposed to Marxism, and he believed that Latin America’s religious revolutionaries had crossed the line” (Chasteen 273). The Vatican, led by the Pope, took strong combative measures against the rise of Liberation Theology, including the systematic appointment of bishops in Latin America that were opposed to the movement. They even went as far as officially “silencing” some key liberation (Chasteen 273) theologians through threats of excommunication and sanctions. POPE FRANCIS Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013 by the papal conclave, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013. He was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to a father from Italy and a mother of Italian descent. The eldest of five children, he was often tasked with caring for his siblings while his parents were at work. He was the first pope from the Americas, the first pope from the southern hemisphere, and the first Jesuit pope. In his early schooling, the future Pope Francis studied to become a chemical technician. After a short time
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