Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's a popular saying in the poor world: Feed the hungry and you're a saint. Ask why
they are hungry and you're a communist. In the 1970s, some Central American priests star-
ted asking why. These Liberation Theologians threatened the powerful… and were killed.
When Oscar Romero was made archbishop in 1977, wealthy Salvadorans breathed a
sigh of relief. If his reputation as a fairly conservative priest was any indication of how
he would run the Church here, they believed the right wing had nothing to fear. But the
growing violence against the poor and the assassinations of church leaders who grappled
with economic injustice drove Romero to speak out. Eventually this mild-mannered priest
became the charismatic spokesperson of his people.
As a Liberation Theologian, Romero invited his followers to see Christmas as the
story of a poor, homeless mother with a hungry baby. Romero taught that the lessons and
inspiration offered by the Bible were tools for the faithful as they dealt with the struggles
of their day-to-day lives.
Because Archbishop Oscar Romero asked why, he was gunned down in 1980 in front
of his congregation. Then, dozens of worshippers were murdered at his funeral.
Liberation Theology
If economic elites use religion as the “opiate of the masses,” Liberation Theology
is the opposite. Liberation Theology is a politicized view of Christianity popular
among those trying to inspire the poor to fight for economic justice. Liberation
Theologians preach that every person is created in God's image, and God intended
them to have dignity. They believe that economic injustice and structural poverty
are an affront to God, and it is right for the downtrodden to mobilize and fight for
their God-given rights now rather than docilely wait for heavenly rewards. In short,
Liberation Theologians believe that the Church should be about justice, not rituals.
