THE NEW Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, has spoken out in defence of liberation theology, writes Jon Stibbs.
In an interview with the Spanish national El Periódico, the Spaniard described liberation theology as “a courageous and creative response to an unbearable situation of injustice in Latin America”. Fr Nicolás regretted that the South American based movement had not been given a “vote of confidence” from other church leaders. “It needs more time,” he said.
While liberation theology was becoming established in South America Fr Nicolás was working in Asia where he developed a reputation as a liberal. He defines the Jesuits’ work as helping “the poor, the marginalised and the excluded”, and has said he is more interested in missionaries’ “cultural dialogue with local people” than imposing doctrinal orthodoxy. [reference]
I guess that he then also regrets the smackdown on Liberation Theology written by then-Cardinal Josef Ratzinger.
I guess he didn’t get the hint from Pope Benedict XVI when he spoke to the Jesuits shortly after the election of the new Jesuit General when he said “that harmony with the magisterium that avoids causing confusion and uncertainty among the People of God.” Nd referring to all members of the Society of Jesus said they should “adhere completely to the Word of God as well as to the magisterium’s charge of conserving the truth and unity of Catholic doctrine in its entirety.” I guess the new fourth vow is to undermine the magisterium on theology.
I prefer “Libation Theology.” Take a drink every time a Jesuit dissents from the Pope.
15 comments
Wouldn’t it help the poor, the marginalized, and the disenfranchised to convert their oppressors to the faith? The salvation of souls is supposed to be their number one priority. The needs of the body do not take precedent.
Whatever happened to the clergy that helped their charges to “offer up” their sufferings for the conversion of sinners, especially their oppressors?
The fact that these sufferings are not offered up at all is the number one reason why their suffering continues, so these jesuits are not helping those people at all.
Fiat Voluntas Tua
Liberation theology. I don’t know a single younger priest, religious, or lay theologian who takes it seriously. Flash in the pan fashion statement for trendy 80’s academics.
Fr. Philip, OP
No, please don’t follow Libation Theology; the internet would be a sadder place if you died from liver failure three hours from now…
The thing about Jesuit is, they think it’s cool and badass to go against Rome.
One of the most memorable saying from several Jesuits when ask why are they being so disobedience to the Papacy is, “we are being disobedience because we are obedience.”
This tells the “remnant mentality” whcih I would define as “the mentality of several elitist people who thinks that their clustered group is the one holding the truth and their up against the majority [who obviously doesn’t hold the truth.”
Isn’t that one of the first signs of insanity? thinking you are right when everyone else is wrong?
More than 40 years ago a priest-friend (OFM Cap) asked, “Are the Jebbies still in the Church?”
Just don’t do Libation Theology before you drive! Keep up the great work on the blog!
New boss?
Why from the content of how he speaks, one would think nothing has changed from anything they have had their fingers in for the last four decades… What is so new about him?
Oh that is right, new name, new face… same old, same old, same old.
Perhaps apropos… When is the last time you heard of a US Jesuit ordination? Sure, they gather all the novices from North America for a group shot annually… And 25-50 of them smiling in their khakis and t-shirts look nice… But how many of the faces are the same from year to year? How many stay? How many get ordained?
We won’t have to suffer them much longer at this rate.
I think this post is a bit unfair.
1) Look at the whole quote rather than a selective one:
“It is a courageous and creative response to an unbearable situation of injustice in Latin America. As with any theology, it needs years to mature. It’s a shame that it has not been given a vote of confidence and that soon its wings will be cut before it learns to fly. It needs more time.”
This is hardly an unqualified endorsement. He admits that there are inadequacies. His point is just that rather than putting the smack down on liberation theology, the Vatican should be setting parameters and guidelines within which it can grow.
2)It includes an unsupported and nonspecific judgment that he is a “liberal”. Given the wide variety of ways this term is employed I would like to know exactly what earned him this reputation (and among whom), otherwise this is just a meaningless pejorative label.
3)Notice where the quotation marks end in this passage:
… he is more interested in missionaries’ “cultural dialogue with local people” than imposing doctrinal orthodoxy.
Find me a direct quote where he says he is not concerned about othrodoxy and then you might have some basis for criticism. I doubt you will find one.
Substitute the words “socialist ideology” for “liberation theology” and perhaps then the concerns raised by those who object to the “black pope’s” comments might be better understood.
Liberation “theology” is socialist ideology in a not-so clever disguise. Liberation theology (LT) as espoused by Boff, Segundo and others is incompatible with the Gospel. It has taken too many decades to shake off that silly and dangerous hack philosophy that one wonders why, after witnessing the futility and damage done by LT, any rational person would now want to endorse a philosophy that, like communism, served to inspire and justify violence in order to achieve “justice”. The only courage and creativity remotely connected to LT is the courage lived by those who fled the “red priests” and resisted the temptation to embrace an ideology (LT) promoted by renegade clergy who, drunk with the idea they were recreating heaven on earth, died with automatic weapons in their hands, hands stained by the blood of their brothers and sisters.
One might recall that while clergy preached a preferential option for the poor and liberation theology, the poor opted for Christ preached by the protestant sects. When and where Catholics faithfully and tirelessly preach salvation in Christ and the law of the Gospel, the law of love, i.e., the Catholic Faith and not some materialistic ideology, people are transformed and parishes and dioceses flourish with faith, hope and charity. And, that personal transformation spreads to heal a community, a nation.
Barb has it right. Conversion to Christ and His Church is paramount. Otherwise, the oppressed become the oppressors.
meet the new boss..as in…meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Great tune.
I think liberation theology is a front for socialists who wanted in on the way the Church had a direct line to all those South American Catholics. I know all I need to when they had the painting on the altar of Sandanistas portrayed as Christ. They use Christianity for their own purposes and now act wounded.
meet the new boss..as in…meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Great tune.
I remember when i was in early Jesuit formation (thak God i left before taking any vows). My novice master on his table has buddha, Christ, a shiv lingam and rudraksh beads on which he would say the rosary. According to him all religions were really the same just different faces of a coin. If that was not bad enough, some of the theologians who were preparing for ordination were grumbling about Pope John Paul II adding the new luminous mysteries, according to them the church did not need more mysteries to the rosary but more social action.
At this point i thought ok this just does not seem correct to me so i left. Of course i sat for 3 months at home thinking ok now im screwed i dont have a vocation what am i going to do but thats another story all together.
If DT’s comment is correct in putting the clip in context, it sounds a lot like what then Cardinal Ratzinger said as head of the CDF in 1986, in his Insturction on Christian Freedom and Liberation–the instruction in which the 1984 document is supposed to be read. (That is, 1986 subsumes 1984). It is a much more moderate document vis a vis liberation theology, applauding the good and warning against temptations, shall we say.
So…let’s all breathe, shall we? Head of Jesuits says very similar thing as now Pope Benedict said in 1986. Not news.
1986 document link:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19860322_freedom-liberation_en.html