Liberation Theology PDF

WHAT IS LIBERATION THEOLOGY? ❖ Liberation is first and foremost liberation from the radical slavery of sin. ❖ Its end and its goal is the freedom of the children of God, which is the gift of grace. WHAT IS LIBERATION THEOLOGY? ❖ it calls for freedom from many different kinds of slavery in the cu...

WHAT IS LIBERATION THEOLOGY? ❖ Liberation is first and foremost liberation from the radical slavery of sin. ❖ Its end and its goal is the freedom of the children of God, which is the gift of grace. WHAT IS LIBERATION THEOLOGY? ❖ it calls for freedom from many different kinds of slavery in the cultural, economic, social, and political spheres, all of which derive ultimately from sin, ❖ freedom from anything that prevent people from living in a manner befitting their dignity. How Liberation Theology Started • Liberation theology has its origins in Latin America in the mid-1950s as socio-economic development pushed the peasant workers and farming populations into desperate poverty. • It was a time when many governments were corrupt and many people were poor. • With the economic unrest came political unrest, and military dictators took over many governments in the name of national security. • While these social and political transformations were taking place, the church as a whole was also moving toward a more socially oriented mission. • Laypeople, religious, and charismatic members of the hierarchy committed themselves to working with the poor. • The common people were inspired by the Bible and especially the message of Jesus that poverty is not what God intended. And that human and societal development based on loving actions is what God intended. • The seminal work on liberation theology was written by Dominican Father Gustavo Gutiérrez in 1971. A Theology of Liberation gave the movement its name, and emphasized the church’s mission to those on the periphery of society. LIBERATION THEOLOGY • Liberation theology is a theology of hope. • Liberation theology is a social and political movement within the church that attempts to interpret the gospel of Jesus Christ through the lived experiences of oppressed people. • It focuses on Jesus not only as a Saviour but also a Liberator; as a bringer of justice. Jesus, the Liberator • Jesus becomes the “liberator” and always is firmly on the side of the poorest of the poor. • Because of this preference for the poor, liberation theology often calls for reorganization of social, governmental, and economic structures so that the poor are not merely cared for, but brought into the fullness of human flourishing. SOCIAL JUSTICE • Sign of the church’s social awakening • Strong desire from the members of the church to work for justice LIBERATION THEOLOGY ARCHBISHOP OSCAR ARNULFO ROMERO 1917-1980 A Man Who Stood Up For SOCIAL JUSTICE https://youtu.be/aZ2j9W780Mo CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHINGS (CST) • Literally: Of New Things • Written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891 • Brought about by the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century • The social problem – labor • Rerum Novarum broke down the barrier that separated the church from the worker • Never before has the church spoken on social matters in such an official document Rerum Novarum Context : Much poverty. Because of the Industrial Revolution, workers are being exploited by profithungry employers. Public authorities are not protecting the rights of the poor. 1891 Context Destitution of the Masses and wealth of the few * Exploitation of Workers * Failure of Public authority to protect the poor * Decline of public morality RECOMMENDATIONS • The poor must be cared for and workers welfare and rights be promoted • Rights: • just wage (enough to support a family) • freedom of action • right to work • join workers association RECOMMENDATIONS Duties of the worker/laborer: • • • • to work well not to harm the property of employer to refrain from violence & rioting to be thrifty Rights and Duties of Employers • just wages • give workers the right to form organization RECOMMENDATIONS • Role of Public Authority/Government • Pope Leo XIII notes the role of the state in facilitating distributive justice so that workers can adequately support their families and someday own property of their own. He notes the poor “have a claim to special consideration” • The state should • Defend the rights of families & Workers • Intervene when harm is done to individuals and the common good • Safeguard the well-being and rights of non owning workers • Give special consideration for the poor RECOMMENDATIONS • Role of Public Authority - Government • uphold rights of private property & enable all to possess private property • uphold the rights of associations and religious rights of people RECOMMENDATIONS • Role of the Church • speak on matters affecting faith & morality • reconcile and unite classes • educate people to act justly • Literally: 40th Year • Written by Pius XI in 1931 • 40 years after Rerum Novarum • Title: Reconstruction of the Social Order • What was the problem social order at that time? • Unrestrained capitalism and totalitarian communism • Reconstruction: more solidarity between employers and employees; capitalists and laborer • Dealt with the following social issues: • Monopoly of production • Massive depression(The Great Depression) • Child labor • Totalitarianism • widening gap between rich and poor; Context: 1. Period after WWI – 1914-1918 2. The Great Depression – 1929-1939 • Response of the encyclical to totalitarianism • Supreme authority of the state was to let local communities handle matters appropriate to them • A response to The Great Depression, a worldwide economic downturn RECOMMENDATIONS Proposed FAMILY WAGE – salaries should be proportional not only to the needs of the worker but also to those of the worker’s family The State, in its relations with the private sector, should apply the principle of subsidiarity MATER ET MAGISTRA Christianity and Social Progress • Who is Saint Pope John XXIII? • 1881, 25 Nov – born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli • First-born son, third of 13 children of a farming family in Northern Italy • Papal Predecessor – Pius XII • 1958 – elected John XXIII; • 262nd Pope of Roman Catholic Church; • aged 76; pontificate lasts 5 years • 1962 - Opened the Second Vatican Council • 1963, June 3 –dies aged 81 • Papal Successor – Paul VI • 2000, Sept 3 – declared ‘Blessed’ by Pope John Paul II • 2014, April 27 – canonized a saint • Literally: The title means “mother and teacher,” which refers to the role of the church • Official English Title: Christianity and Social Progress • It was written by Pope John XXIII in 1961 to continue the tradition of Rerum Novarum (1891) and Quadragesimo Ano (1931) • Deals with the issues of developed and underdeveloped countries • Pointed out the responsibility of rich countries • Raises concerns about the discovery of nuclear energy and the arms race Context • Technological advancements such as nuclear energy, automation, space exploration and improved communications facilities, pose complex, new problems for industrialized nations. • Meanwhile, millions live in poverty in Asia, Africa and Latin America. (Third World Countries) CONTEXT: WORLD WAR II Widening gap between the rich and the poor RECOMMENDATIONS: • A nation should balance economic development with social progress and not sacrifice the welfare of its people for monetary gain. • The wealthiest nations of the world should act to help those countries who are less developed and whose people struggle for the life’s basic necessities. • Aid from the developed world should come in the form of food for the hungry, but also technology and infrastructure to help other nations develop themselves. • Written in 1963 by Saint Pope John XXIII • Addressed not only to the universal church but to all “people of goodwill” • First time that a Church document is addressed to all people of goodwill • It contains the Church’s most clear and detailed statement in support of human rights • It was a response to the Cold War (Cuban Missile Crisis) CONTEXT • The Cold War • Written amid worldwide concern about a nuclear war: The Cuban Missile Crisis • https://youtu.be/bwWW3sbk4EU Pope John XXIII wrote a letter and read it over Vatican Radio: • We beg all governments not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. That they do all that is in their power to save peace. They will thus spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict. That they continue discussions, as this loyal and open behaviour has great value as a witness of everyone’s conscience and before history. Promoting, favouring, accepting conversations, at all levels and in any time, is a rule of wisdom and prudence which attracts the blessings of heaven and earth. • With his plea, Pope John XXIII had given Khrushchev a way out. • By withdrawing now, he would be seen as a man of peace, not a coward. • Two days later, Khrushchev, an atheist who was in the middle of a propaganda war with the Vatican, agreed to withdraw the missiles. (Kennedy also secretly agreed to withdraw American missiles from Turkey.) • Soviet and American leaders signed a nuclear test ban on July 25, 1963. • President Kennedy called that “the first step down the path of peace.” • The two nations also set up a “hot line” for emergency messages between Washington and Moscow. • On April 11, 1963, he issued his great encyclical, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), which called for a “more human” world order, and broad human rights. • He spoke not only to Catholics, but to “the whole human family,” and sketched a world that might someday value reason and equality over force. RECOMMENDATIONS: • Outlines necessary conditions for lasting world peace • Condemns nuclear arms race • Calls for respect for human rights, development of world authority to protect universal common good POPE PAUL VI • GAUDIUM ET SPES • POPULORUM PROGRESSIO • OCTOGESIMA ADVENIENS • EVANGELII NUNTIANDI • POPE PAUL VI • He was the first Pope to visit the Philippines in 1970 • During his 3-day trip to the Philippines in 1970, Paul VI said Mass at the Manila Cathedral and at the Quezon Memorial Circle, and also visited poor families in Tondo, Manila. • GAUDIUM ET SPES • Literally: Joy and Hope • Written in 1965 as part of the documents of the Second Vatican Council under the leadership of POPE PAUL VI • One of the four apostolic constitutions resulting from the Second Vatican Council • What is Second Vatican Council or VATII? • Council - an assembly of Roman Catholic religious leaders meant to settle doctrinal issues • Second Vatican Council - addressed relations between the Catholic Church and the modern world. CHURCH IN THE MODERN WORLD • Gaudium et Spes talks about the humanity’s relationship with the society especially in reference to economics, science, technology, poverty, social justice, culture and ecumenism. • It has had a huge influence on the social teachings of wider Christian churches and communities (not only the Catholic Church)especially those that belong to the World Council of Churches. • What does it teach us? • Human beings are the “source and center of all economic and social life. GS#63 • This means the purpose of economic production is to serve people in their material needs as well as in the demands of their intellectual, moral, social and spiritual life. RECOMMENDATIONS • It highlighted the: – Christian duty to work for peace and the avoidance of war (n 77 -82) – need for international efforts for social and economic development in poor countries (n 65 – 66, 85 – 90) – duty of richer countries to assist the development of poorer countries (n 9) – Church’s support for human rights (n 41) – need for a more equitable distribution of wealth within and between countries POPULORUM PROGRESSIO On the Development of People • Written by Pope Paul VI in 1967 • In response to the worsening situation of the poor around the world, the Pope Paul VI criticizes unjust economic structures that have led to inequality and underdevelopment • Examines economy on global level • Encyclical devoted entirely to the international development issue • Promotes integral development of the whole person and of all persons • Calls “development” as the new name of peace CONTEXT • many nations saw their economic development stall, while others continued to grow at a record pace • growing global inequality and the prevalence of dire poverty in the developing world • unequal distribution of material resources RECOMMENDATIONS • Economy of the world should serve mankind, not just a few • urgent appeal to the rich nations of a sick world to increase and organize more efficiently the economic aid they are giving to developing countries • Pope Paul VI tells the rich to accept higher taxes to support an expansion of foreign aid. • he demands higher prices for the exports of developing countries • Real peace in the world requires justice (Economic justice is the basis for peace) • Rejects idea that revolution and force must be used to change economic condition • with special regard for Latin America, he condemns revolution as a means of establishing a just social order OCTOGESIMA ADVENIENS A call To Action • Literally: on the 80th year • written by Pope Paul VI in 1971, 80 years after Rerum Novarum • Title: A Call to Action • In an apostolic letter on the eightieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum to then‐president of the Pontifical Commission on Justice and Peace Maurice Roy, the Pope Paul VI urges local churches to develop responses to the social and economic problems facing their communities. CONTEXT • The new social problems are identified within the unbalanced, expansive, and technological urbanization • human beings become better informed and better educated New social problems: • A new loneliness and the possibility of humans becoming slaves to their own creations. • Youth are finding dialogue increasingly difficult. • Women didn’t have an equal right to participate in social roles. • The “new poor” created by urbanization include the handicapped, elderly, and marginalized. • Lots of discrimination still exists. • The media has both a positive and negative potential. • People have a responsibility to protect the environment. RECOMMENDATIONS Develops the role of individual local churches in responding to unjust situations and acting for justice Calls for political response to economic injustice • Came out of the Synod of Bishops in 1971 • Bishops came from underdeveloped countries • Shortest encyclical but it is regarded as a strong influence on social involvement of Catholics • Focused on the need for justice particularly the action the church can take • “Church’s vocation is to be present in the heart of the world by proclaiming the Good News to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, and joy to the afflicted.” CONTEXT and the arising social issues • Desperate situations of the poor nations of the world • Urbanization – refers to a process in which the increasing proportion of a population lives in cities and the suburbs of cities that caused: • Lack of housing • Lack of infrastracture services • Lack of property rights • Hunger • unemployment • Forces of division and hatred are increasing in strength RECOMMENDATIONS • The people must: • Have a determined will for development • Take their future into their own hands through God to be able to progress • Accept modernization in every way that serves people’s needs and preserves their cultural heritages • Literally: • Evangelii nuntiandi is Latin and derives its name from the first words of the text: Evangelii nuntiandi studium nostrae aetatis hominibus. ("The effort to proclaim the Gospel to the men of our time.") • Written by Paul VI in 1975 • Links the work of doing justice with evangelization • Stresses on the role of the church to spread the Gospel to the people of the 20th century in ways understandable to them commemorates the 10th anniversary of the closing of Vatican II. CONTEXT He wrote it at the request of the 1974 Synod of Bishops. At this time there were different interpretations of the theology of liberation and the liberation theology movement was controversial. RECOMMENDATIONS • The document • challenges every Catholic to joyfully and boldly share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world • is a wake-up call for all Christians to place Jesus Christ at the front and center of their own lives • September 18: Online Quiz2 • Coverage: Module 4, CST 1 to 5 • 40 minutes; 1 attempt; available within the period only • Questions will be locked after answering • Off cam, open notes • September 21: Asynchronous • Study CST 10 to 12, refer to notes and recorded lecture 3CPL • September 25: Online • Graded Recitation Part 2 on Module 4, CST 1 TO 12 • ESPIRITU, FERRER, GABUAT, GUMAYA, PADOL, PANALONDONG, RIVERA • September 28: Asynchronous Session • Study Module 6: See-Judge-Act • Oct 2 – On Site • Immersion Orientation • Quiz 3 on CST 6 to 12 • Oct 5 - Asynchronous • Review for Midterms • Coverage Modules 1 to 5 CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHINGS (CST) • Written by Pope John Paul II on September 14, 1981 on human work • Attempt to life of John Paul II on May 13, 1981 • Commemorates the 90th anniversary of Rerum Novarum CONTEXT and SOCIAL PROBLEM • 90th anniversary of Rerum Novarum • The social problem: • Revisits the rights and dignity of workers • Examines the opposition between capital and labor • Economic Justice - The economy is for the people and the resources of the earth are to be equitably shared by all. • Focus on one topic: HUMAN WORK • Work is at the center of the social question— the key to making life more human and the measure of human dignity. The Subjective and Objective Dimensions of Work • The language of the encyclical refers to the person as the subject of work (the subjective dimension), while the product is the object of work (the objective dimension). • The distinction is important. • Work becomes dehumanizing and is robbed of the Christian meaning of work if the focus of work is too singularly on productivity. RECOMMENDATIONS • Employers must compensate their employees for work with an amount that will be enough to properly maintain a family and provide security for its future. • Workers must also have the right of association to form labor or trade unions. • Society must also prevent discrimination against disabled persons and allow them to attain employment. • It must also preserve the right of individuals to emigrate to find work opportunities. • Written by Pope John Paul II in 1987, on the 20th anniversary of Populorum Progressio • the first Papal letter to commit the whole Church to ‘the option or love of preference for the poor‘ CONTEXT • The accumulation of wealth in North America and Europe has led to an increasing disparity vis-àvis poorer, developing nations in Africa and Latin America. • nations continue to build weapons while citizens lack food and education • The pope concludes that Paul VI's hopes for development have remained unmet and that, indeed, the situation has worsened • even developed countries have come to manifest signs of underdevelopment, in the form of a housing crisis and burgeoning under-or unemployment. • Moreover, loans to developing nations, originally intended to contribute to their development, have instead aggravated underdevelopment by producing a system of international debt RECOMMENDATIONS • The pope calls for reforms involving the international trade and monetary systems, international organizations, and technology exchanges. • Resources used for the arms race be dedicated to the alleviation of human misery • “If development is the new name for peace, war and preparations for war are the major enemy of the healthy development of peoples. If we take the common good of all humanity as our norm, instead of individual greed, peace would be possible.” • Nature must be considered in development • “One of the great challenges to authentic human development is the reality of the miseries of poverty or economic underdevelopment existing side-by-side with the inadmissible super-development which involves consumerism and waste.” CENTESIMUS ANNUS On the Hundredth Year • Written by Pope John Paul II in 1991 on the 100th year anniversary of Rerum Novarum • Pope John Paul II writes to recognize the hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum, a landmark document about the dignity of work the rights of workers which influenced many future documents. CONTEXT • Hyperindustrialism resulting to consumerism and materialism • The year 1989 represents the end of a decade which saw many dictatorial and oppressive regimes end in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and especially in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe • the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. CENTESIMUS ANNUS On the Hundredth Year • The Pope examines the fall of communism, brought about by the struggles of workers and the inefficient economic system that failed to protect human rights, private property, and economic freedom. • At the same time, John Paul II points to the advantages and sometimes limitations of the market, which sometimes do not adequately respond to human needs and can prioritize profit at the expense of the dignity of the human person. Saint Pope John Paul II • stresses the role of culture in integral human development. • presents a detailed critique of contemporary capitalism. • warns of the danger of consumerism and • raises ecological questions. • Equally worrying is the ecological question which accompanies the problem of consumerism and which is closely connected to it. In his desire to have and to enjoy rather than to be and to grow, man consumes the resources of the earth and his own life in an excessive and disordered way. Role of Profit • The Church acknowledges the legitimate role of profit as an indication that a business is functioning well. When a firm makes a profit, this means that productive factors have been properly employed and corresponding human needs have been duly satisfied. But profitability is not the only indicator of a firm's condition. It is possible for the financial accounts to be in order, and yet for the people — who make up the firm's most valuable asset — to be humiliated and their dignity offended. • Besides being morally inadmissible, this will eventually have negative repercussions on the firm's economic efficiency. In fact, the purpose of a business firm is not simply to make a profit, but is to be found in its very existence as a community of persons who in various ways are endeavouring to satisfy their basic needs, and who form a particular group at the service of the whole of society. Profit is a regulator of the life of a business, but it is not the only one; other human and moral factors must also be considered which, in the long term, are at least equally important for the life of a business. CA #35 Foreign Debt Given to Poorer Countries • At present, the positive efforts which have been made along these lines are being affected by the still largely unsolved problem of the foreign debt of the poorer countries. The principle that debts must be paid is certainly just. However, it is not right to demand or expect payment when the effect would be the imposition of political choices leading to hunger and despair for entire peoples. It cannot be expected that the debts which have been contracted should be paid at the price of unbearable sacrifices. In such cases it is necessary to find — as in fact is partly happening — ways to lighten, defer or even cancel the debt, compatible with the fundamental right of peoples to subsistence and progress. (CA#35) RECOMMENDATIONS • “society and the state must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings.” • The Church must continue to defend the weakest and ensure the necessary minimum support for the unemployed worker. • As consumers, do not fall into the trap of materialism and consumerism • Materialism • Being overly concerned with material possessions and wealth • Consumerism • is an ideology that induces individuals to acquire and consume maximum goods and services. • It is an addiction to buying things, to spending money, as a solution to the lack of happiness and peace in one’s life, in one’s family. The Pope’s proposed response to consumerism • It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards "having" rather than "being", and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself. It is therefore necessary to create life-styles in which the quest for truth, beauty, goodness and communion with others for the sake of common growth are the factors which determine consumer choices, savings and investments. • I am referring to the fact that even the decision to invest in one place rather than another, in one productive sector rather than another, is always a moral and cultural choice. Given the utter necessity of certain economic conditions and of political stability, the decision to invest, that is, to offer people an opportunity to make good use of their own labour, is also determined by an attitude of human sympathy and trust in Providence, which reveal the human quality of the person making such decisions.