Liberation theology: two prefects, two views

If you’re not familiar with “liberation theology,” chances are you’ll be hearing more about it in the weeks and months ahead as Archbishop Gerhard Mueller, the newly appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), is said to be a student, friend and supporter of Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez, the “father” of the controversial movement.

“The theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez, independently of how you look at it, is orthodox,” Archbishop Mueller said in 2008, ultimately describing liberation theology as “participation in the life of the poor” and “their eagerness to respect human rights and demand for fair share in cultural and political life of democracy.” (i)

In 1983, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (then Prefect of the CDF) sent a letter to the bishops of Peru requesting an investigation of Fr. Gutiérrez’s theology citing the following areas of concern: (ii)

-A Marxist view of history
-A selective reading of the Bible that overemphasizes the poor
-Treating the Holy Spirit as a source of revelation separate from the Church’s -Tradition and teaching office
-A class-ridden theology
-An emphasis on building the kingdom through class struggle; a process which also involves changing the structures of the Church
-Making the Church into a partisan group, an idea which puts in jeopardy the hierarchy and its legitimacy
-A neglect of the beatitudes
-A Marxist perversion of the Gospel

In conclusion, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote of Fr. Gutiérrez’s theology, “There are grounds for being deeply worried.” (iii)

Link

Gloria Article on Archbishop Gerhard Müller