- 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.
I copied the second quote above from a Catholic webpage, but neglected to copy the link, however, it clearly refers to the first quote.The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the Vatican’s watchdog for doctrinal orthodoxy - issued two important statements on liberation theology. The Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation” (1984) warned that it is impossible to invoke Marxist principles and terminology without ultimately embracing Marxist methods and goals. Marxism should therefore be avoided altogether.
- Liberation theology is a phenomenon with an extraordinary number of layers. There is a whole spectrum from radically marxist positions, on the one hand, to the efforts which are being made within the framework of a correct and ecclesial theology, on the other hand, a theology which stresses the responsibility which Christians necessarily hear for the poor and oppressed, such as we see in the documents of the Latin American Bishops’ Conference (CELAM) from Medellin to Puebla. In what follows, the concept of liberation theology will be understood in a narrower sense: it will refer only to those theologies which, in one way or another, have embraced the marxist fundamental option. Here too there are many individual differences, which cannot be dealt with in a general discussion of this kind. All I can do is attempt to illuminate certain trends which, notwithstanding the different nuances they exhibit, are widespread and exert a certain influence even where liberation theology in this more restricted sense does not exist.
christendom-awake.org/pages/ratzinger/liberationtheol.htm
- An analysis of the phenomenon of liberation theology reveals that it constitutes a fundamental threat to the faith of the Church. At the same time it must be borne in mind that no error could persist unless it contained a grain of truth. Indeed, an error is all the more dangerous, the greater that grain of truth is, for then the temptation it exerts is all the greater.
Perhaps this helps explain why our bishops have now become politicians!Initially we said that liberation theology intends to supply a new total interpretation of the Christian reality; it explains Christianity as a praxis of liberation and sees itself as the guide to this praxis. However, since in its view all reality is political, liberation is also a political concept and the guide to liberation must he a guide to political action:
If you’re frightened by the Bishops that’s ok, feel free to listen to and follow them, or not. Your choice. If you find shepherds you prefer to follow, again that’s your free choice.I have unsuccessfully done searches on this forum regarding this topic and wish we could get a good discussion going as there is so much confusion as it relates to the Social Encyclicals.
From the 1984 Instruction from the Congregation of Divine Worship (Link above):
I copied the second quote above from a Catholic webpage, but neglected to copy the link, however, it clearly refers to the first quote.
This I will say…from my limited understanding and from what I have seen and read from various sources, I am becoming very frightened by certain statements made by the American bishops on the issues of the day. Some appear to me to be very Marxist in nature. I am furthered disturbed by their support of certain Marxist groups as is evidenced by their funding of them through the CCHD. It appears to me that certain aspects of the Lib Theology that appeared in Latin America are almost mimical (absent the armed revolution, of course) of some of the social justice groups forming in this country today.
We need one united voice from our Shepherds to steer us to a right and proper understanding as it regards the global politics of the day. Unfortunately, it seems they are not in agreement between themselves.
Oh yes - I’ve already read it on another thread, and it offers no proof at all, in fact, I’d say at this point, given the documentation from the USCCB’s own web page (list of grantees,) and following the statements made by some of the dubious organizations they have donated to, their credibility is wearing more than a little thin. They have become a political bureaucracy and have yet to explain why they are funding groups like the Chicago Workers Collaborative which received $30,000 and is listed with the International Socialist Organization and the “Socialist Worker.” According to “about us” on the Chicago Socialist website: "A world free of exploitation–socialism–is not only possible but worth fighting for.If you’re frightened by the Bishops that’s ok, feel free to listen to and follow them, or not. Your choice. If you find shepherds you prefer to follow, again that’s your free choice.
Regarding CCHD here’s what Bishops had to say at their meeting this week: catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0905104.htm
See, I hate how rumors like this get started. As far as I can tell, the Chicago Workers Collaborative has done nothing wrong. It is a nonprofit that “educates immigrant and other low-wage workers regarding their employment rights and improving cooperation and communication between such workers and their employers.” They do this by offering ESL classes, hosting legal aid clinics, offering technical assistance to street vendors to help them apply for legal permits, and working with police to help victims of human trafficking. They list their official partners as labor unions, the Coalition for Just Pay, the Korean Worker Justice Campaign, and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. They do NOT list any socialist organizations as collaborators.Oh yes - I’ve already read it on another thread, and it offers no proof at all, in fact, I’d say at this point, given the documentation from the USCCB’s own web page (list of grantees,) and following the statements made by some of the dubious organizations they have donated to, their credibility is wearing more than a little thin. They have become a political bureaucracy and have yet to explain why they are funding groups like the Chicago Workers Collaborative which received $30,000 and is listed with the International Socialist Organization and the “Socialist Worker.” According to “about us” on the Chicago Socialist website: "A world free of exploitation–socialism–is not only possible but worth fighting for.
all.org/article.php?id=12307