From: David Sangurima <sangu@igc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.latin-america
Date: 19 Jul 92 11:56 PDT
Subject: LATIN AMERICA: Defining the role of
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1473800072:000:4491
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!sangu    Jul 19 11:56:00 1992


From: David Sangurima <sangu>
Subject: LATIN AMERICA: Defining the role of

/* Written 12:07 am  Jul 19, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "LATIN AMERICA: Defining the role of" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: LATIN AMERICA: Defining the role of Liberation Theology


an inter press service feature

by carlos bendana

bonn, jul 16 (ips) -- 'liberation theology' and its commitment to
the world's poor, is a renovating force for modern theology and
the church as a whole, says a leading german theologist with the
catholic religious order 'missionaries of the divine word' (mdw).

''the silence imposed on theologists like brazil's leonardo
boff during the eighties and the recent pressure on him to leave
the franciscan order,'' proves the effectiveness of liberation
theology, said joachim piepke, priest and professor at the mdw's
theology department.

liberation theology developed as both concept and movement in
latin america during the seventies, as an answer to the poverty
which affects almost half the population in this region.

according to chilean theologist pablo richard, the emergence of
the 'popular church' is the major feat in the recent history of
organised religion. with its grass-roots communities, formed by
dedicated christians, the popular church embodies liberation
theology.

influenced by marxism, ''liberation theology poses a structural
reform, considering that the economy should serve the people, and
not a rich elite, as it does now,'' piepke explained.

it also aims to ''restructure the world economic order, which is
in fact a chaos in which the industrialised countries represent
the wealthy class, while the third world, including latin america,
makes up the poor class,'' he added.

the increasing poverty in the third world is caused mainly by the
drainage of resources from developing countries to the
industrialised north; some 50 to 60 billion us dollars in 1989
alone, according to un reports. northern trade protection measures
cost the developing world 100 billion dollars a year in lost
agriculture trade only.

''during the last 20 years european theology has been concerned
with, and discussing, liberation theology,'' he says. but in
nations such as germany ''the influence is not so great,'' despite
the intellectual support of theological leaders such as the late
karl ranner.

''this is due to the fact that, in germany, the differences
between rich and poor are not as great as in latin america,'' says
piepke. ''people in the german parishes and churches should think
about the unjust world order, which we (as a developed country)
have somehow caused.'' (more/ips)

latin america: defining the role of liberation theology(2-e)

latin america: defining the role (2)

this would provide a practical starting point from which latin
american style liberation theology's theoretical impact might have
a deeper effect.

''there are already many grass-roots organisations in german
parishes, which have been working to increase the awareness of the
german public on the north-south conflict and other urgent
problems, for a long time,'' he argues.

according to piepke, liberation theology is under pressure from
the ''difficult economic and social situation in latin america,
and by the pressure exerted on the theologists by the vatican and
the traditional priesthood.

''i get the impression that the poor are losing their patience
with slow solutions to urgent problems, and they want the fast
solutions proposed by liberation theology,'' he said.

he concluded that ''some also become members of protestant
sectors, which offer simple solutions or money, rather than
fundamental changes in the structure of society''.

the theologist also said that ''these pressures, for example two
so-called 'lessons to defend the faith' by the papal congregation
during the eighties, weighed down on leonardo boff, until he could
take no more''.

for piepke, boff's renunciation of his franciscan order ''is a
loss, because within the priesthood, he had access to media and an
audience, access to both will be harder for him on the outside''.

but he said that he saw no solution ''from above'' to this
crisis. ''the only solution i see is to continue working with the
grass-roots communities, with the laity open to a structural
reform of society.'' (end/ips/tr-sp/cbp/da/cr/mv/rj/92)