GETTING THE POOR DOWN FROM THE CROSS Christology of Liberation International Theological Commission of the ECUMENICAL ASSOCIATION OF THIRD WORLD THEOLOGIANS EATWOT GETTING THE POOR DOWN FROM THE CROSS Christology of Liberation José María VIGIL (organizer) International Teological Commission of the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians EATWOT / ASETT Second Digital Edition (Version 2.0) First English Digital Edition (version 1.0): May 15, 2007 Second Spanish Digital Edition (version 2.0): May 1, 2007 Frist Spanish Digital Edition (version 1.0): April 15, 2007 ISBN - 978-9962-00-232-1 José María VIGIL (organizer), International Theological Commission of the EATWOT, Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians, (ASETT, Asociación Ecuménica de Teólogos/as del Tercer Mundo). Prologue: Leonardo BOFF Epilogue: Jon SOBRINO Cover & poster: Maximino CEREZO BARREDO © This digital book is the property of the International Theological Commission of the Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT/ ASETT) who place it at the disposition of the public without charge and give permission, even recommend, its sharing, printing and distribution without profit. This book can be printed, by «digital printing», as a professionally formatted and bound book. Software can be downloaded from: http://www.eatwot.org/TheologicalCommission or http://www.servicioskoinonia.org/LibrosDigitales A 45 x 65 cm poster, with the design of the cover of the book can also be downloaded there. Also in Spanish, Portuguese, German and Italian. A service of The International Theological Commission EATWOT, Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (ASETT, Asociación Ecuménica de Teólogos/as del Tercer Mundo) CONTENTS Prologue, Getting the Poor Down From the Cross, Leonardo BOFF . 11 Introduction, José María VIGIL. 13 Questions to the CDF Regarding Jon Sobrino’s Notification. Tissa BALASURIYA, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 17 Jesus of Nazareth, Spirit of Compassion. Marcelo BARROS, Goiâs, Brazil. 21 A Christology Based on the Nazarene. Leonardo BOFF, Petrópolis, Brazil . 29 The Commitment to Taking the Poor Down from the Cross. Vera Ivanise BOMBONATTO, São Paulo, Brazil. 35 The Primacy of the Poor in the Miission of Jesus and the Church. Teófilo CABESTRERO, Guatemala, Guatemala . 45 Jesus, the Poor and Theology. Oscar CAMPANA, Buenos Aires, Argentina . 53 The Poor, the Church and Theology. Víctor CODINA, Santa Cruz, Bolivia . 63 Reflections on the Notification Sent to Jon Sobrino. José COMBLIN, João Pessoa, Brazil . 71 Christology and Spirituality that Nourishes Us. CONFER of Nicaragua, Managua . 79 Jesus of History, Christs of Faith, and Hope that Another World Is Possible. Lee CORMIE, Toronto, Canada. 83 An Analysis of the ‘Notificatio’ from a Biblical Point of View. Eduardo DE LA SERNA, Quilmes, Argentina . 93 Jesus Christ as Chakana. Outline of an Andean Christology of Liberation. José ESTERMANN, La Paz, Bolivia . 103 Jesus Christ Liberator: Christology in Latin America and the Caribbean. Benedicto FERRARO, Campinas SP, Brasil. 113 A Global Vision of Jesus Christ in the Notification about Sobrino. Eduardo FRADES, Caracas, Venezuela . 123 The Apostolicity of the Option for the Poor. Luis Arturo GARCÍA DÁVALOS, Mexico City, Mexico. 131 Plural Christologies. Ivone GEBARA, Camaragibe, Pernambuco, Brazil.. 139 The Gospels and the Formulae of the Old Councils: Text and Context. Eduardo HOORNAERT, Salvador BA, Brazil . 145 Christology Becomes Provocative. Diego IRARRÁZAVAL, Santiago, Chile . 151 A Liberating Christology is a Pluralistic Christology-with Muscle! Paul KNITTER, New York, USA . 155 The Rediscovery of the Kingdom in Theology. João Bautista LIBÂNIO, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. 159 A Certain Jesus. José Ignacio y María LÓPEZ VIGIL, Managua - Lima. 167 A New Teaching, Given with Authority. Carlos MESTERS, São Paulo, Brazil. 173 Jon Sobrino’s Notification. Ronaldo MUÑOZ, Santiago, Chile. 179 The Hermeneutical Method under Suspicion. Alberto PARRA, Bogotá, Colombia. 183 Jon Sobrino and Theology of Liberation. Aloysius PIERIS, Sri Lanka . 193 Lord of the Miracles. Richard RENSHAW, Montreal, Canada . 197 The Church of Notifications. Jean RICHARD . 203 Which Jesus Does the Church Believe in? Pablo RICHARD, San José, Costa Rica.. 211 Between Elegies and Heresies. Luis RIVERA PAGÁN, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. 215 Jesus, Constituted Son of God by the Resurrection (Romans 1:4). José SÁNCHEZ SÁNCHEZ, Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, México. 221 The Hidden Christs. Stefan SILBER, Potosí, Bolivia / Würzburg, Germany . 229 The Centrality of the Kingdom of God in Liberation Christology. Ezequiel SILVA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 237 In Between the lines of the Notification. Afonso Maria Ligório SOARES, São Paulo, Brazil . 249 Theology of Martyrdom. José SOLS, Barcelona, Spain . 259 Towards a Church of the People. Pablo SUESS, São Paulo, Brazil. 265 What Is Behind the Notification of Jon Sobrino? Jung Mo SUNG, São Paulo, Brazil . 273 The Privilege and the Danger of the ‘Theological Setting’ of the Poor. Luiz Carlos SUSIN, Porto Alegre, Brazil . 279 The Challenge of a Christology in a Pluralist Key. Faustino TEIXEIRA, Juiz de Fora MG, Brazil. 287 Considerations about the Notification. Pedro TRIGO, Caracas, Venezuela . 295 Contingent Christologies. José María VIGIL, Panama City, Panama. 301 Epilogue, Jon SOBRINO . 305 · 11 Prologue Getting the Poor Down from the Cross: Liberation Christology “A brother who is helped by a brother is like an invincible city” (Prov 18:19). That is the experience that we as theologians want to communicate to our brother, Jon Sobrino, who has been treated to a painful ordeal because of his reflective and meditated faith, also called “theology”. May he, with our help as brothers and sisters, feel as strong as a fortress. One thin stalk plus another do not make two thin stalks but a strong one because solidarity generates strength and creates the solidity of fraternity. Even though individually we are thin, we are many who stand beside him, constituting the strength of the sacramentum fraternita- tis, the sacrament of fraternity. We express our fraternity and sororality by doing what Jon Sobrino has always done quite seriously and with compassion: reflect on our faith in Christ in the context of peoples who are crucified. That is what has always been, is now, and above all is determined to continue being our “liberation Christology,” which we all write, do, and live: Yes, a militant theology that struggles to “get the poor down from the cross,” without pretending neutrality or a hypocri- tical equidistance. Every word in this digital book takes advantage of the propitious occasion provided by the Vatican notification about some points of his Christology. It is a book that pushes forward what, in our opinion, Jon Sobrino, for his part, has written with such pertinence, orthodoxy, and orthopraxix in dealing with the meaning of faith in Jesus Christ, based on the humiliated humanity of millions of brothers and sisters of our peripheral societies. He has taught us how the Churches can join forces in the resurrection of those who are crucified. 12 · Prologue We are aware of the limitation of our words. They are nothing in face of the richness that is Christ. “Be still and welcome the Absolute,” Kierkegaard used to say referring to Christ. But, if in spite of this we speak, it is not about Christ as a challenging object, but about Christ as the One who is our Liberator and our Hope that there is still salvation for the world, especially for those marginalized peoples who are ignored in our societies. We make the words of Saint John of the Cross, the burning mystic, our own: “There is much to fathom in Christ, for he is like an abundant mine with many recesses of treasures, so that however deep individuals may go they never reach the end or bottom, but rather in every recess find new veins with new riches everywhere. On this account St. Paul said of Christ: In Christ dwell hidden all treasures and wisdom (Col. 2:3).” Easter, 2007 Leonardo BOFF Petrópolis, Brazil ASETT · 13 Introduction From the beginning, the International Theological Commission of EATWOT believed it was appropriate to offer this service of coor- dination to theologians interested in bringing their word before public opinion in the face of the preoccupations that have arisen in not a few circles as a result of the “Notification” by the Vatican regarding two works of our brother and companion, Jon Sobrino. The issue that came into play and the theology that was shaken by this event was not that of an individual theologian but rather touched the thinking, the theo- logy, and the faith of many theologians and of many more Christians. “Millions”, Bishop Casaldáliga would say a few days later, referring to “those who accompany Sobrino” around the world and who share the same task, mission and hope from the perspective of the poor. As a result we needed someone to take the initiative and create a platform to express ourselves together and with a strong voice. We proposed promptness as a priority. We needed, once and for all, to overcome the proverbial sluggishness of our reactions in the face of events that call out for a word from us. We determined that we should hit the street “exactly one month” after the publication of the Notification as a theological community which, in addition to being alive and alert, knows how to move with the accelerated rhythm of these new times. On this occasion we decided to address to the general public, to the men and women in the street who need a rapid word that comes “on time,” before the endless stream of news replaces important topics with new preoccupations. And we needed to do this with a word for the street, without complications or technicalities, without the paralyzing perfectionism of someone who seeks to polish all the rough points that can catch the fine silks of our censors. 14 · Presentation The urgency and the duty of expressing ourselves was not only an act of solidarity with a companion, but also the responsibility of those who feel that the theology to which they have consecrated their life—with which they have expressed and lived their faith—is being questioned publicly.