EGN NEWS DESK
Gustavo Gutiérrez, the Peruvian priest and revered father of Latin American liberation theology, has died on the age of 96. His passing was confirmed by the Dominican Order of Peru on Tuesday evening in Lima, although the reason for demise was not disclosed.
Gutiérrez, a outstanding theologian and thinker, spent his life advocating for the world’s poor and marginalised, and his 1971 work A Theology of Liberation profoundly reshaped the Catholic Church’s position in addressing problems with injustice in Latin America. His strategy intertwined Christian salvation with a radical name for freedom from each materials and political oppression, encapsulated in his declaration: “The way forward for historical past belongs to the poor and exploited.”
Born in 1928, Gutiérrez served as a parish priest in his early years, ministering to the impoverished communities of Lima. His grassroots work impressed his theological insights, which argued that the Church mustn’t solely present religious steerage but additionally battle for social justice, standing with the oppressed of their struggles towards exploitation and inequality. This message resonated strongly within the context of Latin American nations grappling with dictatorships and financial disparities all through the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies.
However, Gutiérrez’s theology was met with resistance from the Vatican. Seen by some as being influenced by Marxism, liberation theology was initially criticised and a number of other of its proponents confronted disciplinary measures. Gutiérrez himself was by no means formally censured, although he acknowledged the “tough moments” and “vital dialogue” with the Holy See.
Nevertheless, Gutiérrez’s affect grew. He impressed key figures like Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980 for his outspoken opposition to authorities oppression.
Over time, Gutiérrez’s concepts turned extra accepted throughout the Church, culminating in a hotter reception below Pope Francis. The first Latin American pontiff shifted the Church’s focus in direction of the plight of the poor, successfully rehabilitating liberation theology. In 2018, on the event of Gutiérrez’s ninetieth birthday, Pope Francis praised him for his lifelong dedication to “the Church and humanity” and his “preferential love for the poor”.
Archbishop Carlos Castillo of Lima paid tribute to Gutiérrez, remembering him as a “devoted theologian priest who by no means thought of cash, or luxuries, or something that appeared to make him superior.” Castillo added that, regardless of his small bodily stature, Gutiérrez’s phrases carried energy and braveness.
