Gustavo Gutiérrez
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Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz (8 June 1928 – 22 October 2024) was a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America. His 1971 book '' A Theology of Liberation'' is considered pivotal to the formation of liberation theology. He held the John Cardinal O'Hara Professorship of Theology at the
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and was a visiting professor at universities in North America and Europe. Gutiérrez studied medicine and literature at the National University of San Marcos before deciding to become a
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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. He began studying theology at the Theology Faculty of Leuven in Belgium and in Lyon, France. His theological focus connected salvation and liberation through the preferential option for the poor, with an emphasis on improving the material conditions of the impoverished. Gutiérrez proposed that
revelation Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
and
eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of Contemporary era, present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic and non-Abrah ...
have been excessively idealized at the expense of efforts to bring about the
Kingdom of God The concept of the kingship of God appears in all Abrahamic religions, where in some cases the terms kingdom of God and kingdom of Heaven are also used. The notion of God's kingship goes back to the Hebrew Bible, which refers to "his kingdom" ...
on Earth. His methodology was often critical of the social and economic injustice he believed to be responsible for poverty in Latin America, and of the Catholic clergy. The central pastoral question of his work was: "How do we convey to the poor that God loves them?"


Early life and education

Gustavo Gutiérrez was born in the Montserrat
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
of Lima on 8 June 1928 to
mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
parents of Hispanic and Quechua descent. He was afflicted with
osteomyelitis Osteomyelitis (OM) is the infectious inflammation of bone marrow. Symptoms may include pain in a specific bone with overlying redness, fever, and weakness. The feet, spine, and hips are the most commonly involved bones in adults. The cause is ...
as an adolescent and was frequently bed-ridden. He had to use a wheelchair from age 12 to 18. He described this time as a formative experience, claiming it instilled the value of hope through prayer and the love of family in friends. Gutiérrez lived in Barranco, and studied at Colegio San Luis; among his close friends during those years was Javier Mariátegui, with whom he later studied medicine. He described this experience as having had a profound impact on his interest in theology. Gutiérrez initially studied medicine at the National University of San Marcos in Lima in order to become a
psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...
. He also became involved with
Catholic Action Catholic Action is a movement of Catholic laity, lay people within the Catholic Church which advocates for increased Catholic influence on society. Catholic Action groups were especially active in the nineteenth century in historically Catholic cou ...
, which greatly influenced his later theological arguments. While in medical school, Gutiérrez realized he wanted to become a priest. He completed his theological studies in the Theology Faculty of
Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...
in Belgium and at
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
in France, where he studied under
Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...
, Yves Congar, Marie Dominique Chenu, Christian Ducoq, and several others.Botella Cubells, Vicente (8 de noviembre de 2011)). «Gustavo Gutiérrez, padre de la Teología de la Liberación». Facultad de Teología. Valencia. It was also here where Gutiérrez was introduced to the Dominican and Jesuit ideologies, and was influenced by the work of Edward Schillebeeckx, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng, and Johann Baptist Metz. His time in Europe influenced Gutiérrez to discuss the openness of the Church to the contemporary world. He was also influenced by Protestant theologians such as Karl Barth and social scientists such as François Perroux and his idea of development. In 1959, Gutiérrez was ordained a
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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. While studying in Europe, Gutiérrez was exposed to other, non-religious thinkers who had a profound impact on his ideology and the eventual formation of Latin American liberation theology. At the Faculty of Theology in Lyon, he studied
Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
,
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
– on whom he did a philosophy licentiate at the University of Leuven – and evolutionary theorists traditionally opposed or discouraged by the church. Marx's discussion of class struggle and the material conditions of poverty provided Gutiérrez a framework for understanding socio-economic inequality.


Foundations of liberation theology

When he returned to Peru in the late 1950s, Gutiérrez began to formulate his understanding of Latin American "reality" – the foundation and driving force of Latin American liberation theology. He wrote: "I come from a continent in which more than 60% of the population lives in a state of poverty, and 82% of those find themselves in
extreme poverty Extreme poverty is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, ...
." Gutiérrez focused his efforts on the rediscovery of love thy neighbor as the central axiom of Christian life. He contended that the European theology he had studied did not reflect the oppressive material conditions in Latin America. In 2003, Gutiérrez reminisced that his "parishioners in Lima would ... teach me volumes about hope in the midst of suffering". The relationship of suffering with Christianity would inspire his book ''On Job'', published in 1986. In his parish ministry, Gutiérrez was at one time pastor of the ''Iglesia Cristo Redentor'' (Church of Christ the Redeemer) in Rímac, Peru. Gutiérrez drafted an outline of his theological proposal at the conference "Towards a Theology of Liberation" during the Second Meeting of Priests and Laity in Chimbote, Peru, between 21 and 25 July 1968. In this proposal, he cited on multiple occasions
Vatican II The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilic ...
's '' Gaudium et spes'' and Paul VI's '' Populorum progressio''. To Gutiérrez, the source of the problems of Latin America was the sin manifested in an unjust social structure. His solution to this problem was to emphasize the dignity of the poor by prioritizing the glory of God present in them. This perspective would be refined over the next three years, until Gutiérrez published '' A Theology of Liberation'' in 1971. Largely as a result of his work, Latin American liberation theology thus emerged as a biblical analysis of poverty. Gutiérrez distinguished two forms of poverty: a "scandalous state" and a "spiritual childhood". He noted that, while the former is abhorred by God, the second is valued. Gutiérrez identified that each form of poverty was present in Latin America, wherein one hungers for bread and for God. It is only through the manifestation of a committed faith that the purposes of God can be manifested to man, regardless of the color or social class under which he was born. Liberation theology insists on prioritizing the gift of life as the supreme manifestation of God. Gutiérrez asserted that his understanding of poverty as a "scandalous state" is reflected in Luke's beatitude "Blessed are you poor, for the kingdom of God is yours", whereas his interpretation of it as "spiritual childhood" has precedent in Matthew's verse, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven". He argued that there are forms of poverty beyond economic.


Ideology

Gutiérrez saw Christian salvation as something that can be brought about by human action. He argued that Christian liberation has three levels - political ("liberation of the people from the political and economic structures which oppress them"), psychological ("liberation of the human being from those things that do not let him or her take on his or her own destiny"), and lastly theological ("liberation of the person from sin by communion with God"). He saw these three levels as interdependent, and thus dependent on each other. The final salvation of humanity would be carried out through a "historical structure" of liberation, defined by Gutiérrez as emergence of a socialist system. He wrote "that a socialist system is more in accord with the Christian principles of true brotherhood, justice and peace… only socialism can enable Latin America to achieve true development…” In his support for socialism, Gutiérrez eschewed reformism and called for a social revolution instead. He called Catholics to reject "naive reformism" and insisted that the Catholic Church must "break its ties with the present order', become "one with the poor" and dedicate itself to the "revolutionary cause". In this, he wrote that "only by overcoming a society divided into classes .. . by eliminating the private appropriation of wealth created by human toil, can we build the foundation of a more just society". In 1985, when asked if liberation theologians could support welfare-oriented capitalism as a basis for a preferential option for the poor, he replied: "I don't know any who do." He praised Marxism as "simply the best theory available for ensuring that theology is adequately contextual". Stressing his support for a socialist revolution, Gutiérrez stressed: "Hence we speak of social revolution, not reform; of liberation, not development; of socialism, not the modernization of the prevailing system. ‘Realists’ call these statements romantic and utopian. And they should, for the rationality of these statements is of a kind quite unfamiliar to them." Explaining his solution to the poverty in Latin America, he wrote: "Only the complete destruction of the present state of things, the profound transformation of the ownership system, the coming to power of the exploited class, a social revolution will put an end to this dependency. They alone will allow a transition to a socialist society, or at least will make it possible." Gutiérrez was a friend of Camilo Torres Restrepo, a liberation theologian who heeded his calls for participating in a socialist revolution. Marxist influences were prevalent in Gutiérrez's political views. Cameron Swathwood argues that "the overriding theme in Gutiérrez’s conception of liberation theology is its pro-Marxist and anti-capitalist sentiments", and noted that Gutiérrez used Marxist terminology and always referred to the "bourgeois, capitalists, and multinational corporations" in a negative tone. Gutiérrez also cited
Che Guevara Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
, and argued that "the current economic system is purposefully designed to funnel all its resources to the top, away from the oppressed masses beneath". Historian Edward Norman called Gutiérrez "the most distinguished of the Marxist theologians in South America." The main Marxist revolutionaries and intellectual that Gutiérrez cited and incorporated ideas from were José Carlos Mariátegui,
Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...
,
Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
and Aníbal Quijano. On Gutiérrez's Marxist thought, Javier Valiente Núñez wrote: "The novelty of Gutiérrez’s use of Marxism, with the only precedent of Camilo Torres, is precisely the confrontation of his Latin American decolonial Marxism, which is quite complex, heterogeneous and indefinite, with the Christian teaching." However, Gutiérrez's political thought also rejected and modified some aspects of Marxism. Enrique Dussel noted the absence of
dialectical materialism Dialectical materialism is a materialist theory based upon the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that has found widespread applications in a variety of philosophical disciplines ranging from philosophy of history to philosophy of scien ...
in liberation theology:
Liberation theologians, like Gustavo Gutierrez, Juan Luis Segundo, and Leonardo Boff, do not assume the dialectical materialism of Engels,
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...
or Stalin, but a more "humanist" Marx by
Gramsci Antonio Francesco Gramsci ( , ; ; 22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosopher, linguist, journalist, writer, and politician. He wrote on philosophy, political theory, sociology, history, and linguistics. He was a fo ...
, Marcuse or Bloch. This Marxist "humanist" perspective that is focused on a social criticism of the reality is the one used by these theologians in order to elaborate a scientific approach to the causes of poverty and exclusion in Latin America.
Gutiérrez personally highlighted that a single area where liberation theology differed from Marxism was dependency theory, which liberation theology embraced. He acknowledged that while dependency theory itself had many Marxist elements, it "cannot simply be reduced to the Marxist version."


Las Casas Institute and move to United States

In 1974, Gutiérrez founded the Lima branch of the Bartolomé de Las Casas Institute. The Institute, in its mission statement, sought to use theology as a means of addressing contemporary social issues and educating through research, engagement with lawmakers, and collaboration with grassroots organizations. After facing criticism for his work (including from Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, the Archbishop of Lima), Gutiérrez left Peru and joined the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
near the turn of the millennium, taking a teaching post at the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
in the United States. There, he held the John Cardinal O'Hara Professorship of Theology. He later taught at the
University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
,
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,
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,
UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...
, and University of Montréal and other schools.


Writings on the option for the poor

Gutiérrez called for understanding the reality of the poor, and contended that being poor is not simply lacking the economic resources for development. On the contrary, Gutiérrez understood poverty as "a way of living, of thinking, of loving, of praying, of believing and waiting, of spending free time, of fighting for life." He simultaneously emphasized that poverty is the result of flawed social institutions. While many theologians oversimplify poverty's social roots, for Gutiérrez the origin of poverty was considerably more complex. In Latin America, it originates from the times of the conquest and to that is added several political, geographical, and personal factors. The proclamation of the gospel in the midst of the unjust situation in Latin America leads to a praxis based on principles derived from the word of God. In the article "Theology and Poverty", Gutiérrez recalled that this option should lead to three well-defined actions, with the preferential option for the poor unfolding as a fundamental axis of the Christian life on three levels: # The announcement and testimony of the reign of God denounces poverty. # The intelligence of faith reveals essential aspects of God and provides a perspective for theological work. # Walking in the footsteps of Jesus, otherwise known as spirituality, is, on the deepest level, the basis on which everything else rests. The main biblical foundation for this praxis lies in the kenotic incarnation of Christ. To Gutiérrez, the ministry of Christ among the rejected and despised of his time is a clear example for the contemporary Church. Furthermore, "the incarnation is an act of love. Christ becomes man, dies and rises to liberate us, and makes us enjoy freedom. To die and be resurrected with Christ is to overcome death and enter into a new life. The cross and the resurrection seal our freedom." The freedom of Christ is seen by Gutiérrez as the source of spiritual and economic freedom. Theological reflection on liberation extends beyond a simple discourse lacking in practical and concrete implications. Reflection on the situation of the poor leads to what liberation theologians call "liberating praxis", where they attempt to rectify the process by which the faith of the Church builds the economic, spiritual and intellectual liberation of socially oppressed peoples as fulfillment of the kingdom of God. The liberating praxis, then, has its basis in the love that God manifests for us and in the sense of solidarity and fellowship that should exist in interpersonal relationships among the children of God. Gutiérrez developed several concepts in concert with education activist and philosopher Paulo Freire, whose 1968 seminal work '' Pedagogy of the Oppressed'' explored the concept of praxis and a preferential option for the poor.


Death and funeral

Gutiérrez died from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in a convent in Lima on 22 October 2024, at the age of 96. On 23 October 2024, a wake service,
vespers Vespers /ˈvɛspərz/ () is a Christian liturgy, liturgy of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic liturgy, Eastern Catholic liturgical rites), Eastern Orthodox, Oriental O ...
, and
Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
celebrating the memory of Gutiérrez were all held at the Dominican residence in Lima where he resided. On 24 October, Gutiérrez was granted a public funeral at Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary, presided over by Archbishop of Lima Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio. Moments before the funeral began, a video broadcast of
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
aired in which he paid to tribute to Gutiérrez, describing him as "A man of the Church who knew how to be silent when he had to be silent, who knew how to suffer when it was his turn to suffer, who knew how to carry forward so much apostolic fruit and so much rich theology." The pope's video broadcast, which took place from Rome, had been prepared by the Archbishopric of Lima. It was estimated that more than 1,000 people, in person as well as virtually, attended Gutiérrez's funeral. Among those who spoke at his funeral were UNEC national advisor and Chiclayo leader Yolanda Díaz, cartoonist Juan Acevado and Provincial Superior of the Dominicans of Peru Fr. Romulo Vasquez Gavidia, OP. Following the funeral, Gutiérrez's remains were taken to Cristo Redentor Parish in Rímac, where he served as the priest. Castillo delivered a homily, while Father Andrés Gallego, who replaced Gutiérrez as the parish priest, delivered a farewell prayer. In addition to his Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary ceremony, Gutiérrez's Cristo Redentor Parish and burial ceremonies were open to the public as well. Gutiérrez's body is buried in El Ángel Cemetery.


Legacy

Gutiérrez was an influential figure within 20th century theology, and responses to his work have been polarized. Arthur F. McGovern identifies liberation theology as an anomaly within theologian fields, arguing such discourse is generally limited to academic circles and that such theories can have considerable and tangible impact on Latin America's socioeconomic conditions. Liberation theology was intended as a call to all believers in Latin America to act on the biblical commitment to the poor. Gutiérrez's message on material and economic conditions serves to place inequality in both religious and political discourse. Gutiérrez's thought has influenced theology, both in Latin America and abroad. This influence can be observed from the evangelical proposal of the integral mission developed years after the origin of liberation, to the development of social ministries within the evangelical churches in the last decades. Among Gutiérrez's most prominent followers are and . His friends included the German theologian Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Müller, after studying his thought, stated: "The theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez, how it is considered, is orthodox because it is orthopractic and teaches us the correct Christian way of acting, since it derives from authentic faith." On his 90th birthday, in 2018,
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
thanked him for his contributions "to the church and humanity through your theological service and your preferential love for the poor and discarded of society." While Gutiérrez's propositions were never censored by the Church, he was asked to modify some of them. Gutiérrez also took pains to prevent his theology from being drawn into the wider network of controversial stances adopted by some of his colleagues. For example, once in the 1970s in
Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province an ...
, he refused to begin his lecture until Father Jerónimo Podestá, a fellow liberation theologian who argued for the right of priests to marry, left the room. After Gutierrez's death in 2024, Pope Francis called him "a great man of the Church".


Criticisms

In 1984, the
Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
, under
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
, criticized aspects of liberation theology, taking particular issue with its use of Marxist economic theory. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger asked Peruvian bishops to examine Gutiérrez's writings, voicing concerns that Gutiérrez's arguments embodied a concerning "idealization of faith". As a result, Gutiérrez and liberation theology were the subjects of a 36-page Vatican report, which declared Marxism to be incompatible with Catholic teachings. According to Arthur F. McGovern, assessing the movement and its critics is complicated by the fact that it became the subject of popular controversy outside of theological and academic circles, including stories and advertisements in the popular press that evoked passionate responses by identifying liberation theology with Communism and fear of radicalism in Latin American politics.


Accolades

Gutiérrez was a member of the Peruvian Academy of Language. In 1993, he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government for his tireless work. In 2000, Brown University awarded Gutiérrez an honorary Doctor of Divinity. In 2002, Gutiérrez was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
and, in 2003, he received the Príncipe de Asturias award. In 2014, he was awarded the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize from Brandeis University. In 2016, he received the Pacem in Terris Award from St. Ambrose University.


Selected works

* ''On the Side of the Poor: The Theology of Liberation''. Co-authored with Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller. Orbis Books, 2015: * ''In the Company of the Poor: conversations between Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez''. Ed. Michael Griffin and Jennie Weiss Block. Orbis Books, 2013: * ''Las Casas: In Search of the Poor of Jesus Christ'', trans. Robert R. Barr (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1993). Originally published as ''En busca de los pobres de Jesucristo: El pensamiento de Bartolomé de las Casas'' (Lima: CEP, 1992). * ''The God of Life'', trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1991). Originally published as ''El Dios de la vida'' (Lima: CEP, 1989). * ''On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent'', trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1987). Originally published as ''Hablar de Dios desde el sufrimiento del inocente'' (Lima: CEP, 1986). * ''The Truth Shall Make You Free: Confrontations'', trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1990). Originally published as ''La verdad los hará libres: Confrontaciones'' (Lima: CEP, 1986). * ''We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People'', 20th anniversary ed., trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2003; 1st ed., Maryknoll: Orbis, 1984). Originally published as ''Beber en su propio pozo: En el itinerario espiritual de un pueblo'' (Lima: CEP, 1983). * '' A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation'', 15th anniversary ed., trans. Caridad Inda and John Eagleson (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1988; 1st ed., Maryknoll: Orbis, 1973). Originally published as ''Teología de la liberación: Perspectivas'' (Lima: CEP, 1971).


See also

* Liberation theology * Black theology * Christian communism * Christian left * Christian socialism *
Progressive Christianity Progressive Christianity represents a range of related perspectives in contemporary Christian theology and practice. It is a postmodern theological approach, which developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, although progressive C ...
* Social gospel * Social justice


Notes


References


Further reading

* * *


External links


Gustavo Gutiérrez on the University of Notre Dame website


* ttp://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df84lt.htm Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith-August 6, 1984. Instruction on certain aspect of "Liberation Theology"
Liberation Theology in the World History Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez, Gustavo 1928 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Peruvian male writers 21st-century Peruvian male writers Anti-poverty advocates Catholic philosophers Catholic socialists Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni Catholicism and far-left politics Christian Peace Conference members Christian radicals Christian socialist theologians Deaths from pneumonia in Peru Liberation theologians National University of San Marcos alumni People from Lima Peruvian Christian religious leaders Peruvian Christian socialists Peruvian Christian theologians Peruvian Dominicans Peruvian people of Quechua descent Peruvian philosophers University of Notre Dame faculty World Christianity scholars Dominican theologians