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'Theology
of the Poor' Is Not Dead - Gutiérrez
Lidia
Hunter
MADRID, Jun 10 (Tierramérica) -
”Liberation theology has not lost
validity, but rather quite the
opposite,” Peruvian theologian,
philosopher and psychologist Gustavo
Gutiérrez Merino, winner of this year's
Prince of Asturias Prize for the
Humanities, said in a Tierramérica
interview.
In granting him the award, to be
presented officially in October, Spain's
Prince of Asturias Foundation recognised
that the Roman Catholic priest bases his
ideas ”upon solid biblical
foundations, formulating that the
liberation brought by Christ is not
purely spiritual, but also implies
liberation from earthly injustices.”
Gutiérrez, 75, is considered a pioneer
for his 1969 efforts to systematise the
Christian ideas that are also known as
the ”theology of the poor,” which
states that the Gospel of Christ demands
”a preferential option for the poor”
and that the Catholic Church focus its
efforts on liberating the people of the
world from poverty and oppression.
Through the efforts of priests like Gutiérrez,
Liberation Theology emerged out of the
Second Vatican Council and the 1967
papal encyclical Populorum progressio
and the Second Latin American Bishops
Conference, held in Colombia in 1968.
Gutiérrez, who continues to put his
theory into practice on a daily basis,
working with the poor in a densely
populated Lima neighbourhood, spoke with
Tierramérica in an exclusive interview
during his recent visit to Europe.
Q - What was your reaction when you were
told that you had won the Prince of
Asturias Prize for the Humanities?
A - I felt very honoured and more than a
little surprised. But I think awards are
gifts and one never deserves them, but
one simply gives thanks for them.
Q - Can it be said that Liberation
Theology is no longer as popular today
as it was in the 1980s?
A - Let's say that those were years in
which there was a great deal of public
discussion about it. However, the
presence of a theology is not measured
by its impact in the media, but rather
by its ability to inspire Christian
behaviour, faithful to the current
demands of the Gospel. It is something
day-to-day and, very often, it is
silent. Although sometimes it reaches
the public light, when such tragedies
occur as the assassination of so many
Christians in Latin America for their
commitment to the poor. If we could
quantify something that is essentially
qualitative, we could say that 90
percent of Liberation Theology is the
preferential option for the poor. And I
don't think that has lost validity, but
quite the opposite. And a lesser public
presence of debate about Liberation
Theology has allowed us to work in
greater depth in recent years.
Q - What is your greatest concern in
this chaotic world?
A - Poverty in all its forms. I
understand poverty is a complex fact
that is not limited to its economic
dimension. In the context of Liberation
Theology we say that the poor person is
an ”insignificant”, someone without
social weight, someone who is often
invisible. And he or she is
insignificant due to lack of resources,
to skin colour, gender, or for speaking
a language or having customs that the
dominant group considers inferior. In
addition to poverty is the pillaging of
the environment, caused by unfettered
consumption, and it is leading us to
self-destruction.
Q -What role does ecology play in
Liberation Theology?
A - The ecological perspective today is
very present in our theological
reflections on poverty. Both questions
-- poverty and environment -- have a
fundamental link and are among the
greatest problems in the world in which
we live. In ecological circles they say
that planet Earth is like a spaceship
and we are all passengers. And we must
not forget that there are some people
who travel first class and others in
third, or in cargo. Awareness of this,
especially in the dominant economic and
political sectors, is not sufficiently
mature. An immense task still lies ahead
of us.
Q - Despite global opposition, Iraq was
invaded. Was God with the Iraqis?
A - What occurred in Iraq is extremely
serious. Nothing can justify a
pre-emptive war, or such a cruel
dictatorship, as Pope John Paul II
repeated over and over again. Stating
this with clarity is a requirement of
the love of God in our lives. I think it
scandalous to cite religious reasons for
that invasion, which not only expresses
a dangerous fundamentalism, but also
hides the clear economic and political
interests behind it. After this episode,
I have the impression that we will never
be the same.
Q - Given the human rights record of
Cuba, do you think the Roman Catholic
priests there should be more outspoken
with respect to the Fidel Castro
government?
A - Given the difficulty and delicate
nature of the situation experienced
there (in Cuba), I think a great deal of
respect is needed for the positions
taken. Perhaps only by being there can
one have the elements for making
comments about the situation.
Q - What projects are you currently
involved in?
A - I am writing about the preferential
option for the poor in relation to the
major challenges that the Christian
faith is experiencing: globalisation,
the modern and post-modern mentality,
growing poverty, religious pluralism.
And I continue to pursue my customary
pastoral activities.
(Lidia Hunter is a Tierramérica
contributor.)
* Originally published June 7 by Latin
American newspapers that are part of the
Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is
a specialised news service produced by
IPS with the backing of the United
Nations Development Programme and the
United Nations Environment Programme:
www.tierramerica.net
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