The Restoration of Liberation Theology: From Gutiérrez and Ratzinger to Pope Francis and Obama

James P. Keane, B.A., M.Div., M.Ed., Ph.D. will explore some of the important theological, anthropological, and political questions that surface in Matthew 25:31-46, (“When Lord, did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked or sick?”) and how these questions have been responded to in the theology of Vatican II and, most notably, in the Latin American liberation theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez.

Keane will argue that in the 1980s, Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sought to deliberately “dial-back” perceived “excesses” of Vatican II, most notably, liberation theology with its emphasis upon solidarity with the poor and marginalized. However, recent words and actions by the newly elected pontiff, Pope Francis, suggest a dramatic reversal: a robust restoration of liberation solidarity and a deeper appreciation for the cross-cultural insights of Gustavo Gutiérrez.