Towards a Rehabilitation of Liberation Theology

Abstract

Liberation Theology, which began in Latin America in the 1960s, faced constant opposition and objections on the part of classical theology. It has been constantly accused of secularizing and sociologizing the main Christian religious concepts - salvation, freedom and Church, in particular. This is why, in 1984 and 1986, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued the Instruction Libertatis nuntius and Libertatis conscientia. The movement lost its status and developmental impetus, finding itself under sharp criticism of Rome. Nevertheless, thanks to the long-term fruitful cooperation of Professor Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who later became a bishop and a cardinal, with Gutiérrez and other liberation theologians as well as with the Latin American episcopates, the basic conceptual network for Liberation Theology has been developed. It emphasizes classical, universal and evangelical aspects of Liberation Theology to prove that it enriches classical theology with its qualities of social realism, praxeological outlook and its historical and sociological dynamism. As a result, Liberation Theology, whose main objective is to make Gospel real and active in this life rather than in its abstract manifestation alone, seems to be more and more openly accepted as legitimate on behalf of the Vatican and Pope Francis. In this way, it can undergo its revalidation and a second chance for growth.