{"id":1797,"date":"2010-06-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-01T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oikonomia.it\/?post_type=articolo&p=1797"},"modified":"2026-04-12T12:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T10:20:14","slug":"liberation-theology-and-the-social-thought-of-john-paul-ii","status":"publish","type":"articolo","link":"https:\/\/www.oikonomia.it\/en\/2010\/giugno\/liberation-theology-and-the-social-thought-of-john-paul-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberation Theology and the Social Thought of John Paul II"},"content":{"rendered":"

N.B. This text is reproduced in the form in which it was given. A more complete version will subsequently be published in book form.<\/em><\/p>\n

The theological task is a vocation that arises from, and is exercised at, the heart of the ecclesial community. Its point of departure is, in fact, the gift of faith through which we receive the Word of God, and the contributions of its reflection are placed at the service of the evangelising mission of the Church. This context gives theology its\u00a0raison d\u2019\u00eatre<\/em>; specifies its field of action; nourishes it with the sources of Revelation, Scripture and Tradition. enriches it with the acknowledgment of the Magisterium\u2019s charism, and puts it in touch with other ecclesial functions.<\/p>\n

Theology is a way of speaking about God inspired by faith; it is a language about God, who is, in truth, its only subject. We must approach the mystery of God with respect and humility; but, from a biblical perspective, mystery does not mean something that must remain secret. Rather, mystery must be pronounced and communicated because to be shared belongs to the very essence of mystery (cf. Rom. 16, 25-26). For this reason, theology must enter into a dialogue with the mentality and the culture of those who listen to the Word. At the same time, the theologian must be conscious that his or her efforts cannot exhaust the breadth of the Word contained in the Scriptures and transmitted by the living tradition of the Church1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

It is in this context that we attempt to examine briefly the dialogue between the social teaching of John Paul II (not the whole of the Pope\u2019s teaching) and liberation theology. Liberation theology, as we know, is a theological framework made up of various tendencies, and what I can offer here is my own personal point of view on this topic.<\/p>\n

The subject is vast, and so we will have to limit ourselves here to some key points. The social teaching of the Church is part of the field of social ethics, and is centred on the dignity of the human being as the indispensable reference for all social interaction. John Paul II made this clear from the publication of his first social encyclical on human work, basing his reflection on a solid biblical foundation. Theology, as the intelligence of faith, includes many other aspects of Christian revelation, but in these pages we will only touch on certain aspects of the theology of liberation as it relates to social teaching. It is possible to emphasize three aspects, always keeping in mind that there are several more that could be analysed: the preferential option for the poor, the promotion of justice as part of the proclamation of the Gospel, and social conflict.<\/p>\n

1. The preferential option for the poor<\/p>\n

A month before the beginning of the Council, John XXIII posed the question of the Church of the poor. The Pope said, \u201cFor the underdeveloped countries, the Church presents itself as it is and as it wants to be: as a Church of all, and particularly as the Church of the poor.\u201d It is a brief statement, but one in which each word counts. It calls to mind the reality of poverty in the world, a reality about which humanity has become increasingly aware, and one which the Church must consider as pertaining to its own realm of concern. It speaks of a Church that belongs to all, but one in which the poorest must come first. The love of God is universal; no one is outside God\u2019s love. It is within this framework that one must understand the preference (not exclusivity) shown towards \u201cthe least of these, my brothers and sisters,\u201d of whom Jesus speaks (cf. Mt. 25). This phrase, which was not taken up by the Council, did appear in some brief references by Paul VI. John Paul II, however, referred to it on several occasions. The first time was in\u00a0Laborem exercens<\/em>\u00a0(LE), within a very significant context, when commenting on solidarity with workers and their right to life and justice. He said, \u201cThe Church is firmly committed to this cause, for she considers it her mission, her service, a proof of her fidelity to Christ, so that she can truly be the Church of the poor.\u201d (n.8).<\/p>\n

The theme of the Church of the poor (and of all) was very present in the Latin American and Caribbean Church in the 60\u2019s and 70\u2019s, and helped to constitute what has become one of the wellsprings of expression that was built stone by stone \u2013 both pastorally and theologically \u2013 during those years:\u00a0the preferential option for the poor<\/em>. The Conference of Puebla adopted the expression and deepened its meaning. John Paul II mentions it in several of his writings. For example, he uses it in\u00a0Centesimus Annus<\/em>\u00a0(CA) where, offered as a re-reading of\u00a0Rerum Novarum<\/em>, he affirms that, \u201cThe content of the text is an excellent testimony to the continuity within the Church of what today is called the \u00abpreferential option for the poor\u00bb.\u201d It is an option which is defined in\u00a0Sollicitudo Rei Socialis<\/em>\u00a0(SRS) as \u201ca special form of primacy within the exercise of Christian charity\u201d (n.42)2<\/sup>. The Pope directly links the Social Doctrine of the Church (from its beginning) with the formulation of the preferential option for the poor.<\/p>\n

The preferential option for the poor, with its three basic dimensions:<\/p>\n