CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
INSTRUCTION ON CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE "THEOLOGY OF LIBERATION"
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of freedom and a force
for liberation. In recent years, this essential truth has become the object of
reflection for theologians, with a new kind of attention which is itself full
of promise.
Liberation is first and foremost liberation from the radical
slavery of sin. Its end and its goal is the freedom of the children of God,
which is the gift of grace. As a logical consequence, it calls for freedom
from many different kinds of slavery in the cultural, economic, social, and
political spheres, all of which derive ultimately from sin, and so often
prevent people from living in a manner befitting their dignity. To discern
clearly what is fundamental to this issue and what is a by-product of it, is
an indispensable condition for any theological reflection on liberation.
Faced with the urgency of certain problems, some are tempted
to emphasize, unilaterally, the liberation from servitude of an earthly and
temporal kind. They do so in such a way that they seem to put liberation from
sin in second place, and so fail to give it the primary importance it is due.
Thus, their very presentation of the problems is confused and ambiguous.
Others, in an effort to learn more precisely what are the causes of the
slavery which they want to end, make use of different concepts without
sufficient critical caution. It is difficult, and perhaps impossible, to
purify these borrowed concepts of an ideological inspiration which is
compatible with Christian faith and the ethical requirements which flow from
it.
The present Instruction has a much more limited and precise
purpose: to draw the attention of pastors, theologians, and all the faithful
to the deviations, and risks of deviation, damaging to the faith and to
Christian living, that are brought about by certain forms of liberation
theology which use, in an insufficiently critical manner, concepts borrowed
from various currents of Marxist thought.
This warning should in no way be interpreted as a disavowal of
all those who want to respond generously and with an authentic evangelical
spirit to the "preferential option for the poor." It should not at
all serve as an excuse for those who maintain the attitude of neutrality and
indifference in the face of the tragic and pressing problems of human misery
and injustice. It is, on the contrary, dictated by the certitude that the
serious ideological deviations which it points out tends inevitably to betray
the cause of the poor. More than ever, it is important that numerous
Christians, whose faith is clear and who are committed to live the Christian
life in its fullness, become involved in the struggle for justice, freedom,
and human dignity because of their love for their disinherited, oppressed, and
persecuted brothers and sisters. More than ever, the Church intends to condemn
abuses, injustices, and attacks against freedom, wherever they occur and
whoever commits them. She intends to struggle, by her own means, for the
defense and advancement of the rights of mankind, especially of the poor.
I AN INSPIRATION
1. The powerful and almost irresistible aspiration that people
have for 'liberation' constitutes one of the principal 'signs of the times'
which the Church has to examine and interpret in the light of the Gospel. [1]
This major phenomenon of our time is universally widespread, though it takes
on different forms and exists in different degrees according to the particular
people involved. It is, above all, among those people who bear the burdens of
misery and in the heart of the disinherited classes that this aspiration
expresses itself with the greatest force.
2. This yearning shows the authentic, if obscure, perception
of the dignity of the human person, created "in the image and likeness of
God" (Genesis 1:26-27), ridiculed and scorned in the midst of a variety
of different oppressions: cultural, political, racial, social, and economic,
often in conjunction with one another.
3. In revealing to them their vocation as children of God, the
Gospel has elicited in the hearts of mankind a demand and a positive will for
a peaceful and just fraternal life in which everyone will find respect and the
conditions for spiritual as well as material development. This requirement is
no doubt at the very basis of the aspiration we are talking about here.
4. Consequently mankind will no longer passively submit to
crushing poverty with its effects of death, disease, and decline. He resents
this misery as an intolerable violation of his native dignity. Many factors,
and among them certainly the leaven of the Gospel, have contributed to an
awakening of the consciousness of the oppressed.
5. It is widely known, even in still illiterate sections of
the world, that, thanks to the amazing advances in science and technology,
mankind, still growing in numbers, is capable of assuring each human being the
minimum of goods required by his dignity as a person.
6. The scandal of the shocking inequality between the rich and
poor - whether between rich and poor countries, or between social classes in a
single nation - is no longer tolerated. On one hand, people have attained an
unheard of abundance which is given to waste, while on the other hand so many
live in such poverty, deprived of the basic necessities, that one is hardly
able even to count the victims of malnutrition.
7. The lack of equity and of a sense of solidarity in
international transactions works to the advantage of the industrialized
nations so that the gulf between the rich and the poor is ever widening. Hence
derives the feeling of frustration among third world countries, and the
accusations of exploitation and economic colonialism brought against the
industrialized nations.
8. The memory of crimes of a certain type of colonialism and
of its effects often aggravates these injuries and wounds.
9. The Apostolic See, in accord with the Second Vatican
Council, and together with the Episcopal Conferences, has not ceased to
denounce the scandal involved in the gigantic arms race which, in addition to
the threat which it poses to peace, squanders amounts of money so large that
even a fraction of it would be sufficient to respond to the needs of those
people who want for the basic essentials of life.
II EXPRESSIONS OF THIS ASPIRATION
1. The yearning for justice and for the effective recognition
of the dignity of every human being needs, like every deep aspiration, to be
clarified and guided.
2. In effect, a discernment process is necessary which takes
into account both the theoretical and the practical 'manifestations' of this
aspiration. For there are many political and social movements which present
themselves as authentic spokesmen for the aspirations of the poor, and claim
to be able, though by recourse to violent means, to bring about the radical
changes which will put an end to the oppression and misery of people.
3. So the aspiration for justice often finds itself the
captive of ideologies which hide or pervert its meaning, and which propose to
people struggling for their liberation goals which are contrary to the true
purpose of human life. They propose ways of action which imply the systematic
recourse to violence, contrary to any ethic which is respectful of persons.
4. The interpretation of the 'signs of the times in the light
of the Gospel' requires, then, that we examine the meaning of this deep
yearning of people for justice, but also that we study with critical
discernment the theoretical and practical expressions which this aspiration
has taken on.
III LIBERATION, A CHRISTIAN THEME
1. Taken by itself, the desire for liberation finds a strong
and fraternal echo in the heart and spirit of Christians.
2. Thus, in accord with this aspiration, the theological and
pastoral movement known as "Liberation Theology" was born, first in
the countries of Latin America which are marked by the religious and cultural
heritage of Christianity, and then in other countries of the third world, as
well as in certain circles in the industrialized countries.
3. The expression, "Theology of Liberation" refers
first of all to a special concern for the poor and the victims of oppression,
which in turn begets a commitment to justice. Starting with this approach, we
can distinguish several, often contradictory ways of understanding the
Christian meaning of poverty and the type of commitment to justice which it
requires. As with all movements of ideas, the "theologies of
liberation" present diverse theological positions. Their doctrinal
frontiers are badly defined.
4. The aspiration for 'liberation', as the term itself
suggests, repeats a theme which is fundamental to the Old and New Testaments.
In itself, the expression "theology of liberation" is a thoroughly
valid term: it designates a theological reflection centered on the biblical
theme of liberation and freedom, and on the urgency of its practical
realization. The meeting, then of the aspiration for liberation and the
theologies of liberation is not one of mere chance. The significance of the
encounter between the two can be understood only in light of the specific
message of Revelation, authentically interpreted by the Magisterium of the
Church. [2]
IV BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS
1. Thus, a theology of liberation correctly understood
constitutes an invitation to theologians to deepen certain essential biblical
themes with a concern for the grave and urgent questions which the
contemporary yearning for liberation, and those movements which more or less
faithfully echo it, pose for the Church. We dare not forget for a single
instant the situations of acute distress which issue such a dramatic call to
theologians.
2. The radical experience of 'Christian liberty' [3] is our
first point of reference. Christ, our Liberator, has freed us from sin and
from slavery to the Law and to the flesh, which is the mark of the condition
of sinful mankind. Thus it is the new life of grace, fruit of justification,
which makes us free. This means that the most radical form of slavery is
slavery to sin. Other forms of slavery find their deepest root in slavery to
sin. That is why freedom in the full Christian sense, characterized by the
life in the Spirit, cannot be confused with a license to give in to the
desires of the flesh. Freedom is a new life in love.
3. The "theologies of liberation" make wide use of
readings from the book of Exodus. The exodus, in fact, is the fundamental
event in the formation of the chosen people. It represents freedom from
foreign domination and from slavery. One will note that the specific
significance of the event comes from its purpose, for this liberation is
ordered to the foundation of the people of God and the Covenant cult
celebrated on Mt. Sinai. [4] That is why the liberation of the Exodus cannot
be reduced to a liberation which is principally or exclusively political in
nature. Moreover, it is significant that the term 'freedom' is often replaced
in Scripture by the very closely related term, 'redemption'.
4. The foundational episode of the 'Exodus' will never be
effaced from the memory of Israel. Reference is made to it when, after the
destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon, the Jewish people lived in
the hope of a new liberation and, beyond that, awaited a definitive
liberation. In this experience God is recognized as the Liberator. He will
enter into a new Covenant with His people. It will be marked by the gift of
His Spirit and the conversion of hearts. [5]
5. The anxieties and multiple sufferings sustained by those
who are faithful to the God of the Covenant provide the theme of several
Psalms; laments, appeals for help and thanksgivings all make mention mention
of religious salvation and liberation. In this context, suffering is not
purely and simply equated with the social condition of poverty or with the
condition of the one who is undergoing political oppression. It also includes
the hostility of one's enemies, injustice, failure, and death. The Psalms call
us back to an essential religious experience: it is from God alone that one
can expect salvation and healing. God, and not man, has the power to change
the situations of suffering. Thus the "poor of the Lord" live in a
total and confident reliance upon the loving providence of God. [6] Moreover,
throughout the whole crossing of the desert, the Lord did not fail to provide
for the spiritual liberation and purification of the people.
6. In the Old Testament, the prophets after Amos keep
affirming with particular vigor the requirements of justice and solidarity and
the need to pronounce a very severe judgment on the rich who oppress the poor.
They come to the defense of the widow and the orphan. They threaten the
powerful: the accumulation of evils can only lead to terrible punishments.
Faithfulness to the Covenant cannot be conceived of without the practice of
justice. Justice as regards God and justice as regards mankind are
inseparable. God is the defender and the liberator of the poor.
7. These requirements are found once again in the New
Testament. They are even more radicalized as can be shown in the discourse on
the Beatitudes. Conversion and renewal have to occur in the depths of the
heart.
8. Already proclaimed in the Old Testament, the commandment of
fraternal love extended to all mankind thus provides the supreme rule of
social life. [7] There are no discriminations or limitations which can counter
the recognition of everyone as 'neighbor'. [8]
9. Poverty for the sake of the kingdom is praised. And in the
figure of the poor, we are led to recognize the mysterious presence of the Son
of Man who became poor himself for the love of us. [9] This is the foundation
of the inexhaustible words of Jesus on the judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. Our
Lord is one with all in distress; every distress is marked by his presence.
10. At the same time, the requirements of justice and mercy,
already proclaimed in the Old Testament, are deepened to assume a new
significance in the New Testament. Those who suffer or who are persecuted are
identified with Christ. [10] The perfection that Jesus demands of His
disciples (Matthew 5:18) consists in the obligation to be merciful "as
your heavenly Father is merciful".(Luke 6:36)
11. It is in the light of the Christian vocation to fraternal
love and mercy that the rich are severely reminded of their duty. [11] St.
Paul, faced with the disorders of the Church of Corinth, forcefully emphasizes
the bond which exists between participation in the sacrament of love and
sharing with the brother in need. [12]
12. New Testament revelation teaches us that sin is the
greatest evil, since it strikes man in the heart of his personality. The first
liberation, to which all others must make reference, is that from sin.
13. Unquestionably, it is to stress the radical character of
the deliverance brought by Christ and offered to all, be they politically free
or slaves, that the New Testament does not require some change in the
political or social condition as a prerequisite for entrance into this
freedom. However, the 'Letter to Philemon' shows that the new freedom procured
by the grace of Christ should necessarily have effects on the social level.
14. Consequently, the full ambit of sin, whose first effect is
to introduce disorder into the relationship between God and man, cannot be
restricted to "social sin." The truth is that only a correct
doctrine of sin will permit us to insist on the gravity of its social effects.
15. Nor can one localize evil principally or uniquely in bad
social, political, or economic "structures" as though all other
evils came from them so that the creation of the "new man" would
depend on the establishment of different economic and socio- political
structures. To be sure, there are structures which are evil and which cause
evil and which we must have the courage to change. Structures, whether they
are good or bad, are the result of man's actions and so are consequences more
than causes. The root of evil, then, lies in free and responsible persons who
have to be converted by the grace of Jesus Christ in order to live and act as
new creatures in the love of neighbor and in the effective search for justice,
self-control, and the exercise of virtue. [13] To demand first of all a
radical revolution in social relations and then to criticize the search for
personal perfection is to set out on a road which leads to the denial of the
meaning of the person and his transcendence, and to destroy ethics and its
foundation which is the absolute character of the distinction between good and
evil. Moreover, since charity is the principle of authentic perfection, that
perfection cannot be conceived without an openness to others and a spirit of
service.
V THE VOICE OF THE MAGISTERIUM
1. In order to answer the challenge leveled at our times by
oppression and hunger, the Church's Magisterium has frequently expressed her
desire to awaken Christian consciences to a sense of justice, social
responsibility, and solidarity with the poor and the oppressed, and to
highlight the present urgency of the doctrine and imperatives contained in
Revelation.
2. We would like to mention some of these interventions here:
the papal documents "Mater et Magistra", "Pacem in
Terris", "Populorum progressio", and "Evangelii
nuntiandi". We should likewise mention the letter to Cardinal Roy,
"Octogesima adveniens".
3. The Second Vatican Council in turn confronted the questions
of justice and liberty in the Pastoral Constitution, "Gaudium et
Spes".
4. On a number of occasions, the Holy Father has emphasized
these themes, in particular in the encyclicals "Redemptor hominis",
"Dives in misericordia", and "Laborem exercens". These
numerous addresses recall the doctrine of the rights of man and touch directly
on the problems of the liberation of the human person in the face of the
diverse kinds of oppression of which he is the victim. It is especially
important to mention in this connection the Address given before the 26th
General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, October 2, 1979. [14] On
January 28 of that same year, while opening the Third Conference of CELAM in
Puebla, John Paul II affirmed that the complete truth about man is the basis
for any real liberation. [15] This text is a document which bears directly
upon the theology of liberation.
5. Twice the 'Synod of Bishops' treated subjects which are
directly related to a Christian conception of liberation: in 1971, justice in
the world, and in 1974, the relationship between freedom from oppression and
full freedom, or the salvation of mankind. The work of the Synods of 1971 and
1974 led Paul VI in his Apostolic Constitution "Evangelii nuntiandi"
to clarify the connection between evangelization and human liberation of
advancement. [16]
6. The concern for the Church for liberation and for human
advancement was also expressed in the establishment of the Pontifical
Commission, 'Justice and Peace'.
7. Numerous national Episcopal Conferences have joined the
Holy See in recalling the urgency of authentic human liberation and the routes
by which to achieve it. In this context, special mention should be made of the
documents of the General Conferences of the Latin American episcopate at
Medellin in 1968 and at Puebla in 1979. Paul VI was present at the Medellin
Conference and John Paul II was at Puebla. Both dealt with the themes of
conversion and liberation.
8. Following Paul VI, who had insisted on the distinctive
character of the Gospel message, [17] a character which is of divine origin,
John Paul II, in his address at Puebla, recalled the three pillars upon which
any authentic theology of liberation will rest: 'truth about Jesus Christ', 'truth
about the Church', and 'truth about mankind'. [18]
VI A NEW INTERPRETATION OF CHRISTIANITY
1. It is impossible to overlook the immense amount of selfless
work done by Christians, pastors, priests, religious or lay persons, who,
driven by a love for their brothers and sisters living in inhuman conditions,
have endeavored to bring help and comfort to countless people in the distress
brought about by poverty. Among these, some have tried to find the most
effective means to put a quick end to the intolerable situation.
2. The zeal and the compassion which should dwell in the
hearts of all pastors nevertheless run the risk of being led astray and
diverted to works which are just as damaging to man and his dignity as is the
poverty which is being fought, if one is not sufficiently attentive to certain
temptations.
3. The feeling of anguish at the urgency of the problems
cannot make us lose sight of what is essential nor forget the reply of Jesus
to the Tempter: "It is not on bread alone that man lives, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy
8:3). Faced with the urgency of sharing bread, some are tempted to put
evangelization into parentheses, as it were, and postpone it until tomorrow:
first the bread, then the Word of the Lord. It is a fatal error to separate
these two and even worse to oppose the one to the other. In fact, the
Christian perspective naturally shows they have a great deal to do with one
another. [19]
4. To some it even seems that the necessary struggle for human
justice and freedom in the economic and political sense constitutes the whole
essence of salvation. For them, the Gospel is reduced to a purely earthly
gospel.
5. The different theologies of liberation are situated between
the 'preferential option for the poor', forcefully reaffirmed without
ambiguity after Medellin at the Conference of 'Puebla' [19] on the one hand,
and the temptation to reduce the Gospel to an earthly gospel on the other. We
should recall that the preferential option described at 'Puebla' is two-fold:
for the poor and 'for the young'. [21] It is significant that the option for
the young has in general been passed over in total silence.
7. We noted above (cf. 3) that an authentic theology of
liberation will be one which is rooted in the Word of God, correctly
interpreted.
8. But from a descriptive standpoint, it helps to speak of 'theologies'
of liberation, since the expression embraces a number of theological
positions, or even sometimes ideological ones, which are not simply different
but more often incompatible with one another.
9. In this present document, we will only be discussing
developments of that current of thought which, under the name "theology
of liberation", proposes a novel interpretation of both the content of
faith and of Christian existence which seriously departs from the faith of the
Church and, in fact, actually constitutes a practical negation.
10. Concepts uncritically borrowed from Marxist ideology and
recourse to theses of a biblical hermeneutic marked by rationalism are at the
basis of the new interpretation which is corrupting whatever was authentic in
the generous initial commitment on behalf of the poor.
VII MARXIST ANALYSIS
1. Impatience and a desire for results has led certain
Christians, despairing of every other method, to turn to what they call
"marxist analysis."
2. Their reasoning is this: an intolerable and explosive
situation requires 'effective action' which cannot be put off. Effective
action presupposes a 'scientific analysis' of the structural causes of
poverty. Marxism now provides us with the means to make such an analysis, they
say. Then one simply has to apply the analysis to the third-world situation,
especially in Latin America.
3. It is clear that scientific knowledge of the situation and
of the possible strategies for the transformation of society is a
presupposition for any plan capable of attaining the ends proposed. It is also
a proof of the seriousness of the effort.
4. But the term "scientific" exerts an almost
mythical fascination even though everything called "scientific" is
not necessarily scientific at all. That is why the borrowing of a method of
approach to reality should be preceded by a careful epistemological critique.
This preliminary critical study is missing from more than one "theology
of liberation."
5. In the human and social sciences it is well to be aware
above all of the plurality of methods and viewpoints, each of which reveals
only one aspect of reality which is so complex that it defies simple and
univocal explanation.
6. In the case of Marxism, in the particular sense given to it
in this context, a preliminary critique is all the more necessary since the
thought of Marx is such a global vision of reality that all data received form
observation and analysis are brought together in a philosophical and
ideological structure, which predetermines the significance and importance to
be attached to them. The ideological principles come prior to the study of the
social reality and are presupposed in it. Thus no separation of the parts of
this epistemologically unique complex is possible. If one tries to take only
one part, say, the analysis, one ends up having to accept the entire ideology.
That is why it is not uncommon for the ideological aspects to be predominant
among the things which the "theologians of liberation" borrow from
Marxist authors.
7. The warning of Paul VI remains fully valid today: Marxism
as it is actually lived out poses many distinct aspects and questions for
Christians to reflect upon and act on. However, it would be "illusory and
dangerous to ignore the intimate bond which radically unites them, and to
accept elements of the Marxist analysis without recognizing its connections
with the ideology, or to enter into the practice of class-struggle and of its
Marxist interpretation while failing to see the kind of totalitarian society
to which this process slowly leads." [22]
8. It is true that Marxist thought ever since its origins, and
even more so lately, has become divided and has given birth to various
currents which diverge significantly from each other. To the extent that they
remain fully Marxist, these currents continue to be based on certain
fundamental tenets which are not compatible with the Christian conception of
humanity and society. In this context, certain formulas are not neutral, but
keep the meaning they had in the original Marxist doctrine. This is the case
with the "class-struggle." This expression remains pregnant with the
interpretation that Marx gave it, so it cannot be taken as the equivalent of
"severe social conflict", in an empirical sense. Those who use
similar formulas, while claiming to keep only certain elements of the Marxist
analysis and yet to reject the analysis taken as a whole, maintain at the very
least a serious confusion in the minds of their readers.
9. Let us recall the fact that atheism and the denial of the
human person, his liberty and rights, are at the core of the Marxist theory.
This theory, then, contains errors which directly threaten the truths of the
faith regarding the eternal destiny of individual persons. Moreover, to
attempt to integrate into theology an analysis whose criterion of
interpretation depends on this atheistic conception is to involve oneself in
terrible contradictions. What is more, this misunderstanding of the spiritual
nature of the person leads to a total subordination of the person to the
collectivity, and thus to the denial of the principles of a social and
political life which is in keeping with human dignity.
10. A critical examination of the analytical methods borrowed
from other disciplines must be carried out in a special way by theologians. It
is the light of faith which provides theology with its principles. That is why
the use of philosophical positions or of human sciences by the theologian has
a value which might be called instrumental, but yet must undergo a critical
study from a theological perspective. In other words, the ultimate and
decisive criterion for truth can only be a criterion which is itself
theological. It is only in the light of faith, and what faith teaches us about
the truth of man and the ultimate meaning of his destiny, that one can judge
the validity or degree of validity of what other disciplines propose, often
rather conjecturally, as being the truth about man, his history and destiny.
11. When modes of interpretation are applied to the economic,
social, and political reality of today, which are themselves borrowed from
Marxist thought, they can give the initial impression of a certain
plausibility, to the degree that the present-day situation in certain
countries is similar to what Marx described and interpreted in the middle of
the last century. On the basis of these similarities, certain simplifications
are made which, abstracting from specific essential factors, prevent any
really rigorous examination of the causes of poverty and prolong the
confusion.
12. In certain parts of Latin America, the seizure of the vast
majority of the wealth by an oligarchy of owners bereft of social
consciousness, the practical absence or the shortcomings of a rule of law,
military dictators making a mockery of elementary human rights, the corruption
of certain powerful officials, the savage practices of some foreign capital
interests constitute factors which nourish a passion for revolt among those
who thus consider themselves the powerless victims of a new colonialism in the
technological, financial, monetary, or economic order. The recognition of
injustice is accompanied by a pathos which borrows its language from Marxism,
wrongly presented as though it were scientific language.
13. The first condition for any analysis is a total openness
to the reality to be described. That is why a critical consciousness has to
accompany the use of any working hypotheses that are being adopted. One has to
realize that these hypotheses correspond to a particular viewpoint which will
inevitably highlight certain aspects of the reality while leaving others in
the shade. This limitation which derives from the nature of human science is
ignored by those who, under the guise of hypotheses recognized as such, have
recourse to such an all- embracing conception of reality as the thought of
Karl Marx.
VIII SUBVERSION OF THE MEANING OF TRUTH AND VIOLENCE
1. This all-embracing conception thus imposes its logic and
leads the "theologies of liberation" to accept a series of positions
which are incompatible with the Christian vision of humanity. In fact, the
ideological core borrowed from Marxism, which we are referring to, exercises
the function of a 'determining principle'. It has this role in virtue of its
being described as "scientific", that is to say, true of necessity.
In this core, we can distinguish several components.
2. According to the logic of Marxist thought, the
"analysis" is inseparable from the <praxis>, and from the
conception of history to which this 'praxis' is linked. The analysis is for
the Marxist an instrument of criticism, and criticism is only one stage in the
revolutionary struggle. This struggle is that of the proletarian class,
invested with its mission in history.
3. Consequently, for the Marxist, only those who engage in the
struggle can work out the analysis correctly.
4. The only true consciousness, then, is the 'partisan'
consciousness. It is clear that the concept of 'truth' itself is in question
here, and it is totally subverted: there is no truth, they pretend, except in
and through the partisan praxis.
5. For the Marxist, the 'praxis', and the truth that comes
from it, are partisan 'praxis' and truth because the fundamental structure of
history is characterized by 'class-struggle'. There follows, then, the
objective necessity to enter into the class struggle, which is the dialectical
opposite of the relationship of exploitation, which is being condemned. For
the Marxist, the truth is a truth of class: there is no truth but the truth in
the struggle of the revolutionary class.
6. The fundamental law of history, which is the law of class
struggle, implies that society is founded on violence. To the violence which
constitutes the relationship of the domination of the rich over the poor,
there corresponds the counter-violence of the revolution, by means of which
this domination will be reversed.
7. The class struggle is presented as an objective, necessary
law. Upon entering this process on behalf of the oppressed, one
"makes" truth, one acts "scientifically". Consequently,
the conception of the truth goes hand in hand with the affirmation of
necessary violence, and so, of a political amorality. Within this perspective,
any reference to ethical requirements calling for courageous and radical
institutional and structural reforms makes no sense.
8. The fundamental law of class struggle has a global and
universal character. It is reflected in all the spheres of existence:
religious, ethical, cultural, and institutional. As far as this law is
concerned, none of these spheres is autonomous. In each of them this law
constitutes the determining element.
9. In particular, the very nature of ethics is radically
called into question because of the borrowing of these theses from Marxism. In
fact, it is the transcendent character of the distinction between good and
evil, the principle of morality, which is implicitly denied in the perspective
of the class struggle.
IX. THE THEOLOGICAL APPLICATION OF THIS CORE
1. The positions here in question are often brought out
explicitly in certain of the writings of "theologians of
liberation." In others, they follow logically from their premises. In
addition, they are presupposed in certain liturgical practices, as for example
a "Eucharist" transformed into a celebration of the people in
struggle, even though the persons who participate in these practices may not
be fully conscious of it. We are facing, therefore, a real system, even if
some hesitate to follow the logic to its conclusion. As such, this system is a
perversion of the Christian message as God entrusted it to His Church. This
message in its entirety finds itself then called into question by the
"theologies of liberation."
2. It is not the 'fact' of social stratification with all its
inequity and injustice, but the 'theory' of class struggle as the fundamental
law of history which has been accepted by these "theologies of
liberation" as a principle. The conclusion is drawn that the class
struggle thus understood divides the Church herself, and that in light of this
struggle even ecclesial realities must be judged. The claim is even made that
it would be maintaining an illusion with bad faith to propose that love in its
universality can conquer what is the primary structural law of capitalism.
3. According to this conception, the class struggle is the
driving force of history. History thus becomes a central notion. It will be
affirmed that God Himself makes history. It will be added that there is only
one history, one in which the distinction between the history of salvation and
profane history is no longer necessary. To maintain the distinction would be
to fall into "dualism". Affirmations such as this reflect
historicist immanentism. Thus there is a tendency to identify the kingdom of
God and its growth with the human liberation movement, and to make history
itself the subject of its own development, as a process of the self-redemption
of man by means of the class struggle. This identification is in opposition to
the faith of the Church as it has been reaffirmed by the Second Vatican
Council. [23]
4. Along these lines, some go so far as to identify God
Himself with history and to define faith as "fidelity to history",
which means adhering to a political policy which is suited to the growth of
humanity, conceived as a purely temporal messianism.
5. As a consequence, faith, hope, and charity are given a new
content: they become "fidelity to history", "confidence in the
future", and "option for the poor." This is tantamount to
saying they have been emptied of their theological reality.
6. A radical politicization of faith's affirmations and of
theological judgments follows inevitably from this new conception. The
question no longer has to do with simply drawing attention to the consequences
and political implications of the truths of faith, which are respected
beforehand for their transcendent value. In this new system, every affirmation
of faith or of theology is subordinated to a political criterion, which in
turn depends on the class struggle, the driving force of history.
7. As a result, participation in the class struggle is
presented as a requirement of charity itself. The desire to love everyone here
and now, despite his class, and to go out to meet him with the non-violent
means of dialogue and persuasion, is denounced as counterproductive and
opposed to love. If one holds that a person should not be the object of hate,
it is claimed nevertheless that, if he belongs to the objective class of the
rich, he is primarily a class enemy to be fought. Thus the universality of
love of neighbor and brotherhood become an eschatological principle, which
will only have meaning for the "new man", who arises out of the
victorious revolution.
8. As far as the Church is concerned, this system would see
her 'only' as a reality interior to history, herself subject to those laws
which are supposed to govern the development of history in its immanence. The
Church, the gift of God and mystery of faith, is emptied of any specific
reality by this reductionism. At the same time, it is disputed that the
participation of Christians who belong to opposing classes at the same
Eucharistic Table still makes any sense.
9. In its positive meaning the 'Church of the poor' signifies
the preference given to the poor, without exclusion, whatever the form of
their poverty, because they are preferred by God. The expression also refers
to the Church of our time, as communion and institution and on the part of her
members, becoming more fully conscious of the requirement of evangelical
poverty.
10. But the "theologies of liberation", which
reserve credit for restoring to a place of honor the great texts of the
prophets and of the Gospel in defense of the poor, go on to a disastrous
confusion between the 'poor' of the Scripture and the 'proletariat' of Marx.
In this way they pervert the Christian meaning of the poor, and they transform
the fight for the rights of the poor into a class fight within the ideological
perspective of the class struggle. For them the 'Church of the poor' signifies
the Church of the class which has become aware of the requirements of the
revolutionary struggle as a step toward liberation and which celebrates this
liberation in its liturgy.
11. A further remark regarding the expression, 'Church of the
People', will not be out of place here. From the pastoral point of view, this
expression might mean the favored recipients of evangelization to whom,
because of their condition, the Church extends her pastoral love first of all.
One might also refer to the Church as people of God, that is, people of the
New Covenant established in Christ. [24]
12. But the "theologies of liberation" of which we
are speaking, mean by 'Church of the People' a Church of the class, a Church
of the oppressed people whom it is necessary to "conscientize" in
the light of the organized struggle for freedom. For some, the people, thus
understood,even become the object of faith.
13. Building on such a conception of the Church of the People,
a critique of the very structures of the Church is developed. It is not simply
the case of fraternal correction of pastors of the Church whose behavior does
not reflect the evangelical spirit of service and is linked to old-fashioned
signs of authority which scandalize the poor. It has to do with a challenge to
the 'sacramental and hierarchical structure' of the Church, which was willed
by the Lord Himself. There is a denunciation of members of the hierarchy and
the magisterium as objective representatives of the ruling class which has to
be opposed. Theologically, this position means that ministers take their
origin from the people who therefore designate ministers of their own choice
in accord with the needs of their historic revolutionary mission.
X A NEW HERMENEUTIC
1. The partisan conception of truth, which can be seen in the
revolutionary 'praxis' of the class, corroborates this position. Theologians
who do not share the theses of the "theology of liberation", the
hierarchy, and especially the Roman Magisterium are thus discredited in
advance as belonging to the class of the oppressors. Their theology is a
theology of class. Arguments and teachings thus do not have to be examined in
themselves since they are only reflections of class interests. Thus, the
instruction of others is decreed to be, in principle, false.
2. Here is where the global and all-embracing character of the
theology of liberation appears. As a result, it must be criticized not just on
the basis of this or that affirmation, but on the basis of its classist
viewpoint, which it has adopted 'a priori', and which has come to function in
it as a determining principle.
3. Because of this classist presupposition, it becomes very
difficult, not to say impossible, to engage in a real dialogue with some
"theologians of liberation" in such a way that the other participant
is listened to, and his arguments are discussed with objectivity and
attention. For these theologians start out with the idea, more or less
consciously, that the viewpoint of the oppressed and revolutionary class,
which is their own, is the single true point of view. Theological criteria for
truth are thus relativized and subordinated to the imperatives of the class
struggle. In this perspective, 'orthodoxy' or the right rule of faith, is
substituted by the notion of 'orthopraxy' as the criterion of the truth. In
this connection it is important not to confuse practical orientation, which is
proper to traditional theology in the same way that speculative orientation
is, with the recognized and privileged priority given to a certain type of 'praxis'.
For them, this praxis is the revolutionary 'praxis' which thus becomes the
supreme criterion for theological truth. A healthy theological method no doubt
will always take the 'praxis' of the Church into account and will find there
one of its foundations, but that is because that praxis comes from the faith
and is a lived expression of it.
4. For the "theologies of liberation" however, the
social doctrine of the Church is rejected with disdain. It is said that it
comes from the illusion of a possible compromise, typical of the middle class
which has no historic destiny.
5. The new 'hermeneutic' inherent in the "theologies of
liberation" leads to an essentially 'political' re-reading of the
Scriptures. Thus, a major importance is given to the Exodus event inasmuch as
it is a liberation from political servitude. Likewise, a political reading of
the "Magnificat" is proposed. The mistake here is not in bringing
attention to a political dimension of the readings of Scripture, but in making
of this one dimension the principal or exclusive component. This leads to a
reductionist reading of the Bible.
6. Likewise, one places oneself within the perspective of a
temporal messianism, which is one of the most radical of the expressions of
secularization of the Kingdom of God and of its absorption into the immanence
of human history.
7. In giving such priority to the political dimension, one is
led to deny the 'radical newness' of the New Testament and above all to
misunderstand the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, and
thus the specific character of the salvation he gave us, that is above all
liberation from sin, which is the source of all evils.
8. Moreover in setting aside the authoritative interpretation
of the Church, denounced as classist, one is at the same time departing from
tradition. In that way, one is robbed of an essential theological criterion of
interpretation, and in the vacuum thus created, one welcomes the most radical
theses of rationalist exegesis. Without a critical eye, one returns to the
opposition of the "Jesus of history" versus the "Jesus of
faith."
9. Of course the creeds of the faith are literally preserved,
especially the Chalcedonian creed, but a new meaning is given to them which is
a negation of the faith of the Church. On one hand, the Christological
doctrine of Tradition is rejected in the name of class; on the other hand, one
claims to meet again the "Jesus of history" coming from the
revolutionary experience of the struggle of the poor for their liberation.
10. One claims to be reliving an experience similar to that of
Jesus. The experience of the poor struggling for their liberation, which was
Jesus' experience, would thus reveal, and it alone, the knowledge of the true
God and the Kingdom.
11. Faith in the Incarnate Word, dead and risen for all men,
and whom "God made Lord and Christ" [25] is denied. In its place is
substituted a figure of Jesus who is a kind of symbol who sums up in Himself
the requirements of the struggle of the oppressed.
12. An exclusively political interpretation is thus given to
the death of Christ. In this way, its value for salvation and the whole
economy of redemption is denied.
13. This new interpretation thus touches the whole of the
Christian mystery.
14. In a general way, this brings about what can be an
inversion of symbols. Thus, instead of seeing, with St. Paul, a figure of
baptism in the Exodus, [26] some end up making of it a symbol of the political
liberation of the people.
15. When the same hermeneutical criterion is applied to the
life and to the hierarchical constitution of the Church, the relationship
between the hierarchy and the "base" becomes the relationship of
obedient domination to the law of the struggle of the classes. Sacramentality,
which is at the root of the ecclesial ministries and which makes of the Church
a spiritual reality which cannot be reduced to a purely sociological analysis,
is quite simply ignored.
16. This inversion of symbols is likewise verified in the area
of the 'sacraments'. The Eucharist is no longer to be understood as the real
sacramental presence of the reconciling sacrifice, and as the gift of the Body
and Blood of Christ. It becomes a celebration of the people in their struggle.
As a consequence, the unity of the Church is radically denied. Unity,
reconciliation, and communion in love are no longer seen as a gift we receive
from Christ. [27] It is the historical class of the poor who by means of their
struggle will build unity. For them, the struggle of the classes is the way to
unity. The Eucharist thus becomes the Eucharist of the class. At the same
time, they deny the triumphant force of the love of God which has been given
to us.
XI ORIENTATIONS
1. The warning against the serious deviations of some
"theologies of liberation" must not be taken as some kind of
approval, even indirect, of those who keep the poor in misery, who profit from
that misery, who notice it while doing nothing about it, or who remain
indifferent to it. The Church, guided by the Gospel of mercy and by the love
for mankind, hears the cry for justice [28] and intends to respond to it with
all her might.
2. Thus a great call goes out to all the Church: with boldness
and courage, with far-sightedness and prudence, with zeal and strength of
spirit, with a love for the poor which demands sacrifice, pastors will
consider the response to this call a matter of the highest priority, as many
already do.
3. All priests, religious, and lay people who hear this call
for justice and who want to work for evangelization and the advancement of
mankind, will do so in communion with their bishop and with the Church, each
in accord with his or her own specific ecclesial vocation.
4. Aware of the ecclesial character of their vocation,
theologians will collaborate loyally and with a spirit of dialogue with the
Magisterium of the Church. They will be able to recognize in the Magisterium a
gift of Christ to His Church [29] and will welcome its word and its directives
with filial respect.
5. It is only when one begins with the task of evangelization
understood in its entirety that the authentic requirements of human progress
and liberation are appreciated. This liberation has as its indispensable
pillars: 'the truth about Jesus the Savior'; 'the truth about the Church'; and
'the truth about man and his dignity'. [30] It is in light of the Beatitudes,
and especially the Beatitude of the poor of heart, that the Church, which
wants to be the Church of the poor throughout the world, intends to come to
the aid of the noble struggle for truth and justice. She addresses each
person, and for that reason, every person. She is the "universal Church.
The Church of the Incarnation. She is not the Church of one class or another.
And she speaks of the name of truth itself. This truth is realistic". It
leads to a recognition "of every human reality, every injustice, every
tension and every struggle." [31]
6. An effective defense of justice needs to be based on the
truth of mankind, created in the image of God and called to the grace of
divine sonship. The recognition of the true relationship of human beings to
God constitutes the foundation of justice to the extent that it rules the
relationships between people. That is why the fight for the rights of man,
which the Church does not cease to affirm, constitutes the authentic fight for
justice.
7. The truth of mankind requires that this battle be fought in
ways consistent with human dignity. That is why the systematic and deliberate
recourse to blind violence, no matter from which side it comes, must be
condemned. [32] To put one's trust in violent means in the hope of restoring
more justice is to become the victim of a fatal illusion: violence begets
violence and degrades man. It mocks the dignity of man in the person of the
victims and it debases that same dignity among those who practice it.
8. The acute need for radical reforms of the structures which
conceal poverty and which are themselves forms of violence, should not let us
lose sight of the fact that the source of injustice is in the hearts of men.
Therefore it is only by making an appeal to the 'moral potential' of the
person and to the constant need for interior conversion, that social change
will be brought about which will be truly in the service of man. [33] For it
will only be in the measure that they collaborate freely in these necessary
changes through their own initiative and in solidarity, that people, awakened
to a sense of their responsibility, will grow in humanity. The inversion of
morality and structures is steeped in a materialist anthropology which is
incompatible with the dignity of mankind.
9. It is therefore an equally fatal illusion to believe that
these structures will of themselves give birth to a "new man" in the
sense of the truth of man. The Christian cannot forget that it is only the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us Who is the source of every true renewal
and that God is the Lord of History.
10. By the same token, the overthrow by means of revolutionary
violence of structures which generate violence is not ipso facto the beginning
of a just regime. A major fact of our time ought to evoke the reflection of
all those who would sincerely work for the true liberation of their brothers:
millions of our own contemporaries legitimately yearn to recover those basic
freedoms of which they were deprived by totalitarian and atheistic regimes
which came to power by violent and revolutionary means, precisely in the name
of the liberation of the people. This shame of our time cannot be ignored:
while claiming to bring them freedom, these regimes keep whole nations in
conditions of servitude which are unworthy of mankind. Those who, perhaps
inadvertently, make themselves accomplices of similar enslavements betray the
very poor they mean to help.
11. The class struggle as a road toward a classless society is
a myth which slows reform and aggravates poverty and injustice. Those who
allow themselves to be caught up in fascination with this myth should reflect
on the bitter examples history has to offer about where it leads. They would
then understand that we are not talking here about abandoning an effective
means of struggle on behalf of the poor for an ideal which has no practical
effects. On the contrary, we are talking about freeing oneself from a delusion
in order to base oneself squarely on the Gospel and its power of realization.
12. One of the conditions for necessary theological correction
is giving proper value to the 'social meaning of the Church'. This teaching is
by no means closed. It is, on the contrary, open to all the new questions
which are so numerous today. In this perspective, the contribution of
theologians and other thinkers in all parts of the world to the reflection of
the Church is indispensable today.
13. Likewise the experience of those who work directly for
evangelization and for the advancement of the poor and the oppressed is
necessary for the doctrinal and pastoral reflection of the Church. In this
sense, it is necessary to affirm that one becomes more aware of certain
aspects of truth by starting with 'praxis', if by that one means pastoral 'praxis'
and social work which keeps its evangelical inspiration.
14. The teaching of the Church on social issues indicates the
main lines of ethical orientation. But in order that it be able to guide
action directly, the Church needs competent people from a scientific and
technological viewpoint, as well as in the human and political sciences.
Pastors should be attentive to the formation of persons of such capability who
live the Gospel deeply. Lay persons, whose proper mission is to build society,
are involved here to the highest degree.
15. The theses of the "theologies of liberation" are
widely popularized under a simplified form, in formation sessions or in what
are called "base groups" which lack the necessary catechetical and
theological preparation as well as the capacity for discernment. Thus these
theses are accepted by generous men and women without any critical judgment
being made.
16. That is why pastors must look after the quality and the
content of catechesis and formation which should always present the 'whole
message of salvation' and the imperatives of true liberation within the
framework of this whole message.
17. In this full presentation of Christianity, it is proper to
emphasize those essential aspects which the "theologies of
liberation" especially tend to misunderstand or to eliminate, namely: God
and true man; the sovereignty of grace; and the true nature of the means of
salvation, especially of the Church and the sacraments. One should also keep
in mind the true meaning of ethics in which the distinction between good and
evil is not relativized, the real meaning of sin, the necessity for
conversion, and the universality of the law of fraternal love. One needs to be
on guard against the politicization of existence which, misunderstanding the
entire meaning of the Kingdom of God and the transcendence of the person,
begins to sacralize politics and betray the religion of the people in favor of
the projects of the revolution.
18. The defenders of orthodoxy are sometimes accused of
passivity, indulgence, or culpable complicity regarding the intolerable
situations of injustice and the political regimes which prolong them.
Spiritual conversion, the intensity of the love of God and neighbor, zeal for
justice and peace, the Gospel meaning of the poor and of poverty, are required
of everyone, and especially of pastors and those in positions of
responsibility. The concern for the purity of the faith demands giving the
answer of effective witness in the service of one's neighbor, the poor and the
oppressed in particular, in an integral theological fashion. By the witness of
their dynamic and constructive power to love, Christians will thus lay the
foundations of this "civilization of love" of which the Conference
of Puebla spoke, following Paul VI. [34] Moreover there are already many
priests, religious, and lay people who are consecrated in a truly evangelical
way for the creation of a just society.
CONCLUSION
The words of Paul VI in his "Profession of Faith",
express with full clarity the faith of the Church, from which one cannot
deviate without provoking, besides spiritual disaser, new miseries and new
types of slavery. "We profess our faith that the Kingdom of God, begun
here below in the Church of Christ, is not of this world, whose form is
passing away, and that its own growth cannot be confused with the progress of
civilization, of science, and of human technology, but that it consists in
knowing ever more deeply the unfathomable riches of Christ, to hope ever more
strongly in things eternal, to respond ever more ardently to the love of God,
to spread ever more widely grace and holiness among men. But it is this very
same love which makes the Church constantly concerned for the true temporal
good of mankind as well. Never ceasing to recall to her children that they
have no lasting dwelling here on earth, she urges them also to contribute,
each according to his own vocation and means, to the welfare of their earthly
city, to promote justice, peace and brotherhood among men, to lavish their
assistance on their brothers, especially on the poor and the most dispirited.
The intense concern of the Church, the bride of Christ, for the needs of
mankind, their joys and their hopes, their pains and their struggles, is
nothing other than the graet desire to be present to them in order to
enlighten them with the light of Christ, and join them all to Him, their only
Savior. It can never mean that the Church is conforming to the things of this
world, nor that she is lessening the earnestness with which she awaits her
Lord and the eternal Kingdom." [35]
This instruction was adopted at an Ordinary Meeting of the
Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and was approved at an
audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect by his Holiness Pope John
Paul II, who ordered its publication.
Given at Rome, at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, on August 6, 1984, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Prefect
Alberto Bovone Titular Archbishop of Caesarea
in Numidia Secretary
Footnotes
(1) Cf. "Gaudium et Spes" n. 4.
(2) "Dei Verbum", n. 10.
(3) Cf. Galatians 5, 1 ff.
(4) Cf. Exodus 24.
(5) Cf. Jeremiah 31, 31-34; Ezekiel 36, 26 ff.
(6) Cf. Zebediah 3, 12 ff.
(7) Cf. Deuteronomy 10, 18-19.
(8) Cf. Leviticus 10, 25-37.
(9) 2 Corinthians 8, 9.
(10) Matthew 25, 31-46; Acts 9, 4-5; Colossians 1, 24.
(11) Jeremiah 5, ff.
(12) Cf. 1 Corinthians 11, 17-34.
(13) Cf. Jeremiah 2, 14-26.
(14) Cf. AAS 71 (1979) pp. 1144-1160.
(15) Cf. AAS 71 (1979) p. 196.
(16) Cf. "Evangelii nuntiandi", n. 25-33, AAS 68
(1976) pp. 23-28.
(17) Cf. "Evangelii nuntiandi", n. 32, AAS 68 (1976)
p. 27.
(18) Cf. AAS 71 (1979) pp. 188-196.
(19) Cf. "Gaudium et Spes", n. 39; Pius XI,
"Quadragesimo Anno": AAS 23 (1931) p. 207.
(20) Cf. n. 1134-1165 and n. 1166-1205.
(21) Doc. de Puebla, IV, 2.
(22) Paul VI, "Octogesima Adveniens", n.34 AAS 63
(1971) pp. 424- 425.
(23) "Lumen gentium", n.9-17.
(24) Cf. "Gaudium et Spes", n.39.
(25) Cf. Acts 2, 36.
(26) Cf. 1 Corinthians 10, 1-2.
(27) Cf. Ephesians 2, 11-22.
(28) Cf. Doc. de Puebla, I, II, 3, 3.
(29) Cf. Luke 10, 16.
(30) Cf. JOHN PAUL II, "Address at the Opening of the
Conference at Puebla", AAS 71 (1979) pp. 188-196; Doc. de Puebla II
P,c,1.
(31) Cf. JOHN PAUL II, "Address to the Favela 'Vidigal'
At Rio de Janeiro", 2 July 1980, AAS 72 (1980) pp.852-858.
(32) Doc. de Puebla, II, c.II, 5, 4.
(33) Cf. Doc. de Puebla,IV, c.3. 3. 1.
(34) Cf. Doc. de Puebla, IV, II, 2, 3.
(35) PAUL VI, "Profession of Faith of the People of
God", 30 June 1968, AAS 60 (1968) pp.443-444.
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