Juan Luis Segundo (March 31, 1925, in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay – January 17, 1996, in Montevideo) was a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and Uruguayan

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

who was an important figure in the movement known as

Latin American liberation theology Latin American liberation theology (, ) is a synthesis of Christian theology and Marxian socio-economic analyses, that emphasizes "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". Beginning in the 1960s after the Se ...

. He wrote numerous books on theology,

ideology An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied pri ...

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate c ...

, and

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

, and was an outspoken critic of what he perceived as Church callousness toward

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination w ...

and

suffering Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence of a ...

. He was a physician by training.

Biography

In 1941, he joined the Society of Jesus and studied at Jesuit seminaries at Córdoba and the Seminary of San Miguel, both in Argentina, and later at the Faculty of Theology San Alberto in

Louvain Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...

, Belgium (where he met fellow student

Gustavo Gutiérrez Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino (born 8 June 1928) is a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest, regarded as one of the founders of Latin American liberation theology. He currently holds the John Cardinal O'Hara Professo ...

). He was ordained in 1955. He obtained his licenciate in 1958, with his thesis "La Cristiandad, una utopía?" ("Christianity, a utopia?") Between 1958 and 1963 he studied for the Doctorat d'Etat in the Faculty of Letters of the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, from which he received his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

. His thesis was titled "Berdiaeff, una reflexión cristiana sobre la persona." (" Berdyaev, a Christian reflection on the person.") He returned to Uruguay and in Montevideo he started "Cursos de Complementación Cristiana", in which he analysed political, social and economic problems in the light of Catholic faith. He gave these courses between 1961 and 1964, at the same time he did other work in the continent, collaborating in Chile with Roger Vekemans in political typology in his "Ensayo de tipología socioeconómica latinoamericana" ("Essay on Latin-American Socioeconomic Typology") and with Renato Poblete in the "Ensayo de tipología política de América Latina" ("Essay on Political Typology of Latin America," published by OEA in Washington in 1961). In 1965, he co-founded the Peter Faber Center of Theological and Social Studies (''Centro de Investigación y Acción Social "Pedro Fabro"''), which was closed by the Uruguayan government in the 1970s. The Center dedicated itself to investigating the interrelations between society and religion. Some work was published in the review, ''Perspectivas de Diálogo''. With his experience in the Center, Segundo wrote his fundamental work, ''Teología abierta para el laico adulto,'' (''Open Theology for the Lay Adult'') in five volumes, published in Argentina by the Editorial Carlos Lohlé. After that, he traveled, lectured and taught at universities in Brazil, Canada, and the United States. In 1970 he met in

Petrópolis Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...

, Brazil, other Latin American theologians who started the Theology of Liberation. Together with the Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, Segundo was one of the founders of the movement. In fact, his prominent book ''The Liberation of Theology'', was a series of lectures that took place in 1974 at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

. In 1974 he had the distinction of "Best Book in 1974 Liturgy" of the Catholic Press Association of New York for ''The Sacraments Today'', vol. 4 of ''A Theology for Artisans of a New Humanity''.

Works

His major works (translated into English from the original

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

) include: *''Pre-Christian Stages of Faith'' (1962) *''The Christian Understanding of Humanity'' (1962) *''Berdiaeff. Une Réflexion chrétienne sur la Personne''. Ed. Aubier, Paris 1963 (Col. Théologie 53) *''A Theology for Artisans of a New Humanity'' (5 vols., 1973–74) (''Teología abierta para el laico adulto.'' Ed. Carlos Lohlé, Buenos Aires, in collaboration with the Centro Pedro Fabro of Montevideo.) *'' The Liberation of Theology'' (1975–76) *''Hidden Motives of Pastoral Action: Latin American Reflections'' (English edition, 1978) *''Jesus of Nazareth Yesterday and Today'' (5 vols., 1982–88; volume 1, ''Faith and Ideologies,'' is the best known) *''Theology and the Church: a response to Cardinal Ratzinger and a Warning to the Whole Church'' (1985) *''The Liberation of Dogma'' (1989–1992)

Sources

Kim, Hyung-Kon, "Juan Luis Segundo," The Boston Collaborative Encyclopedia of Modern Western Theology, 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Segundo, Juan Luis 1925 births 1996 deaths Uruguayan Jesuits University of Paris alumni 20th-century Uruguayan Roman Catholic priests Liberation theologians Clergy from Montevideo 21st-century Roman Catholic theologians Uruguayan people of Spanish descent Uruguayan theologians Christian radicals Uruguayan Christian socialists Catholic socialists Christian socialist theologians