Conference of Latin American Bishops
Encyclopedia
The Conference of Latin American Bishops was a bishops conference held in 1968 in Medellín
, Colombia
. In this conference the bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor." The bishops decided to form Christian "base communities"
in which they would teach the poor how to read by using the Bible
. The goal of the bishops was to liberate the people from the "institutionalized violence" of poverty. They informed the people that poverty and hunger were preventable.
The movement drew on the influence of Paulo Freire
, widely regarded as the greatest literacy teacher of the region, along with Father Camilo Torres
and Bartolomé de Las Casas
. It allowed for the poor to object to the hegemony
and hierarchy they had been subjected to for the past centuries. Instead of accepting only what they were given, the people could now demand more, like soup kitchens, day care, co-ops, neighborhood organizations, higher wages, and better medical care. The bishops and nuns that took part in this effort were hoping that the "religious fervor" of the region would help make the result extremely powerful. They felt that the poor were the blessed people and that the church has a duty to help them.
The movement eventually became known as "liberation theology
" and because it opposed the system, it stirred up support as well as opposition, sometimes violent. A lot of people, mainly from conservatives and the wealthy who benefited from the status quo, called this theology Marxist
. With that determined, the conservatives within the Vatican threw the entire power of the Catholic Church against it. Pope John Paul II
, a staunch opponent of Communism
, started a campaign in the 1970s that would overthrow "liberation theology" by systematically appointing bishops in Latin America that were hostile towards it. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI
, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
, was in charge of enforcing doctrine which largely opposed the theological interpretations and actions of these Latin American religious. Later in 1983, the Pope visited Nicaragua
in order to show his opposition to the Sandinista revolutionary leaders, who were the "Catholic clergy and exponents of liberation theology." In the visit the Pope shouted "Silence!" three times at the Sandinista crowd when they heckled him; some interpreted this as symbolizing his "silencing" of the theology and those who supported it.
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. In this conference the bishops agreed that the church should take "a preferential option for the poor." The bishops decided to form Christian "base communities"
Christian base communities
Christian Base communities are autonomous religious groups often associated with Liberation Theology. The 1968 Medellín, Colombia meeting of Latin American Council of Bishops played a major role in popularizing them....
in which they would teach the poor how to read by using the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The goal of the bishops was to liberate the people from the "institutionalized violence" of poverty. They informed the people that poverty and hunger were preventable.
The movement drew on the influence of Paulo Freire
Paulo Freire
Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and influential theorist of critical pedagogy.-Biography:...
, widely regarded as the greatest literacy teacher of the region, along with Father Camilo Torres
Camilo Torres
Camilo Torres may refer to:*Camilo Torres Restrepo, liberation theologian, priest and guerrilla member in Colombia during the 1960s*Camilo Torres Tenorio, political leader of Colombia's independence struggle against Spain in the 1810s...
and Bartolomé de Las Casas
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Bartolomé de las Casas O.P. was a 16th-century Spanish historian, social reformer and Dominican friar. He became the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, and the first officially appointed "Protector of the Indians"...
. It allowed for the poor to object to the hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
and hierarchy they had been subjected to for the past centuries. Instead of accepting only what they were given, the people could now demand more, like soup kitchens, day care, co-ops, neighborhood organizations, higher wages, and better medical care. The bishops and nuns that took part in this effort were hoping that the "religious fervor" of the region would help make the result extremely powerful. They felt that the poor were the blessed people and that the church has a duty to help them.
The movement eventually became known as "liberation theology
Liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian movement in political theology which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions...
" and because it opposed the system, it stirred up support as well as opposition, sometimes violent. A lot of people, mainly from conservatives and the wealthy who benefited from the status quo, called this theology Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
. With that determined, the conservatives within the Vatican threw the entire power of the Catholic Church against it. Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, a staunch opponent of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, started a campaign in the 1970s that would overthrow "liberation theology" by systematically appointing bishops in Latin America that were hostile towards it. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
, was in charge of enforcing doctrine which largely opposed the theological interpretations and actions of these Latin American religious. Later in 1983, the Pope visited Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in order to show his opposition to the Sandinista revolutionary leaders, who were the "Catholic clergy and exponents of liberation theology." In the visit the Pope shouted "Silence!" three times at the Sandinista crowd when they heckled him; some interpreted this as symbolizing his "silencing" of the theology and those who supported it.