Gustavo Gutiérrez

The Reverend Gustavo Gutiérrez OP
Gutiérrez in 2007
Born	Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz (1928-06-08)8 June 1928 Lima, Peru
Died	22 October 2024(2024-10-22) (aged 96) Lima, Peru
Alma mater	Catholic University of Leuven Catholic University of Lyon
Occupations	Priest professor
Employer	University of Notre Dame
Known for	Latin American liberation theology preferential option for the poor
Notable work	A Theology of Liberation
Awards	Legion of Honor 1993 Member – American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2002 Prince of Asturias Award 2003 Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award 2016
Ecclesiastical career
Religion	Christianity
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Ordained	1959
Congregations served	Iglesia Cristo Redentor, Rímac

Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz OP (8 June 1928 – 22 October 2024) was a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America.^[1][2] His 1971 book A Theology of Liberation is considered pivotal to the formation of liberation theology.^[3][4][5] He held the John Cardinal O'Hara Professorship of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and was a visiting professor at universities in North America and Europe.^[6]

Gutiérrez studied medicine and literature at the National University of San Marcos before deciding to become a priest. He began studying theology at the Theology Faculty of Leuven in Belgium and in Lyon, France.

His theological focus connected salvation and liberation through the preferential option for the poor, with an emphasis on improving the material conditions of the impoverished. Gutiérrez proposed that revelation and eschatology have been excessively idealized at the expense of efforts to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth.^[7] His methodology was often critical of the social and economic injustice he believed to be responsible for poverty in Latin America, and of the Catholic clergy. The central pastoral question of his work was: "How do we convey to the poor that God loves them?"^[8]

Gustavo Gutiérrez was born in the Montserrat barrio of Lima on 8 June 1928 to mestizo parents of Hispanic and Quechua descent.^[9][10] He was afflicted with osteomyelitis as an adolescent and was frequently bed-ridden. He had to use a wheelchair from age 12 to 18.^[11] He described this time as a formative experience, claiming it instilled the value of hope through prayer and the love of family in friends. Gutiérrez lived in Barranco, and studied at Colegio San Luis; among his close friends during those years was Javier Mariátegui, with whom he later studied medicine. He described this experience as having had a profound impact on his interest in theology.^[12]

Gutiérrez initially studied medicine at the National University of San Marcos in Lima in order to become a psychiatrist. He also became involved with Catholic Action, which greatly influenced his later theological arguments.

While in medical school, Gutiérrez realized he wanted to become a priest.^[13] He completed his theological studies in the Theology Faculty of Leuven in Belgium and at Lyon in France, where he studied under Henri de Lubac, Yves Congar, Marie Dominique Chenu, Christian Ducoq, and several others.^[14] It was also here where Gutiérrez was introduced to the Dominican and Jesuit ideologies, and was influenced by the work of Edward Schillebeeckx, Karl Rahner, Hans Küng, and Johann Baptist Metz.^[15] His time in Europe influenced Gutiérrez to discuss the openness of the Church to the contemporary world. He was also influenced by Protestant theologians such as Karl Barth and social scientists such as François Perroux and his idea of development.^[16][17] In 1959, Gutiérrez was ordained a priest.^[18]

While studying in Europe, Gutiérrez was exposed to other, non-religious thinkers who had a profound impact on his ideology and the eventual formation of Latin American liberation theology.^[12] At the Faculty of Theology in Lyon, he studied Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud – on whom he did a philosophy licentiate at the University of Louvrain – and evolutionary theorists traditionally opposed or discouraged by the church.^[19] Marx's discussion of class struggle and the material conditions of poverty provided Gutiérrez a framework for understanding socio-economic inequality.^[19]

When he returned to Peru in the late 1950s, Gutiérrez began to formulate his understanding of Latin American "reality" – the foundation and driving force of Latin American liberation theology.^{[20][page needed]} He wrote: "I come from a continent in which more than 60% of the population lives in a state of poverty, and 82% of those find themselves in extreme poverty."^[21] Gutiérrez focused his efforts on the rediscovery of love thy neighbor as the central axiom of Christian life.^[22][23] He contended that the European theology he had studied did not reflect the oppressive material conditions in Latin America. In 2003, Gutiérrez reminisced that his "parishioners in Lima would ... teach me volumes about hope in the midst of suffering". The relationship of suffering with Christianity would inspire his book On Job, published in 1986.^[12] In his parish ministry, Gutiérrez was at one time pastor of the Iglesia Cristo Redentor (Church of Christ the Redeemer) in Rímac, Peru.^[18]

Gutiérrez drafted an outline of his theological proposal at the conference "Towards a Theology of Liberation" during the Second Meeting of Priests and Laity in Chimbote, Peru, between 21 and 25 July 1968.^[24] In this proposal, he cited on multiple occasions Vatican II's Gaudium et spes and Paul VI's Populorum progressio. To Gutiérrez, the source of the problems of Latin America was the sin manifested in an unjust social structure. His solution to this problem was to emphasize the dignity of the poor by prioritizing the glory of God present in them.^[14] This perspective would be refined over the next three years, until Gutiérrez published A Theology of Liberation in 1971.^[25]

Largely as a result of his work, Latin American liberation theology thus emerged as a biblical analysis of poverty. Gutiérrez distinguished two forms of poverty: a "scandalous state" and a "spiritual childhood". He noted that, while the former is abhorred by God, the second is valued. Gutiérrez identified that each form of poverty was present in Latin America, wherein one hungers for bread and for God. It is only through the manifestation of a committed faith that the purposes of God can be manifested to man, regardless of the color or social class under which he was born. Liberation theology insists on prioritizing the gift of life as the supreme manifestation of God.^[26]

Gutiérrez asserted that his understanding of poverty as a "scandalous state" is reflected in Luke's beatitude "Blessed are you poor, for the kingdom of God is yours", whereas his interpretation of it as "spiritual childhood" has precedent in Matthew's verse, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven". He argued that there are forms of poverty beyond economic.^[27]

In 1974, Gutiérrez founded the Lima branch of the Bartolomé de Las Casas Institute. The Institute, in its mission statement, sought to use theology as a means of addressing contemporary social issues and educating through research, engagement with lawmakers, and collaboration with grassroots organizations.^[28]

After facing criticism for his work (including from Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, the Archbishop of Lima), Gutiérrez left Peru and joined the Dominican Order near the turn of the millennium,^[a] taking a teaching post at the University of Notre Dame in the United States.^[29][30] There, he held the John Cardinal O'Hara Professorship of Theology. He later taught at the University of Michigan, Harvard, Cambridge, UC Berkeley, and University of Montréal and other schools.^[31]

Gutiérrez called for understanding the reality of the poor, and contended that being poor is not simply lacking the economic resources for development.^[32] On the contrary, Gutiérrez understood poverty as "a way of living, of thinking, of loving, of praying, of believing and waiting, of spending free time, of fighting for life." He simultaneously emphasized that poverty is the result of flawed social institutions.^[32] While many theologians oversimplify poverty's social roots, for Gutiérrez the origin of poverty was considerably more complex. In Latin America, it originates from the times of the conquest and to that is added several political, geographical, and personal factors.^[32]

The proclamation of the gospel in the midst of the unjust situation in Latin America leads to a praxis based on principles derived from the word of God. In the article "Theology and Poverty", Gutiérrez recalled that this option should lead to three well-defined actions, with the preferential option for the poor unfolding as a fundamental axis of the Christian life on three levels:^[32][33]

1. The announcement and testimony of the reign of God denounces poverty.
2. The intelligence of faith reveals essential aspects of God and provides a perspective for theological work.
3. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus, otherwise known as spirituality, is, on the deepest level, the basis on which everything else rests.

The main biblical foundation for this praxis lies in the kenotic incarnation of Christ. To Gutiérrez, the ministry of Christ among the rejected and despised of his time is a clear example for the contemporary Church. Furthermore, "the incarnation is an act of love. Christ becomes man, dies and rises to liberate us, and makes us enjoy freedom. To die and be resurrected with Christ is to overcome death and enter into a new life. The cross and the resurrection seal our freedom." The freedom of Christ is seen by Gutiérrez as the source of spiritual and economic freedom.^[34]

Theological reflection on liberation extends beyond a simple discourse lacking in practical and concrete implications. Reflection on the situation of the poor leads to what liberation theologians call "liberating praxis", where they attempt to rectify the process by which the faith of the Church builds the economic, spiritual and intellectual liberation of socially oppressed peoples as fulfillment of the kingdom of God. The liberating praxis, then, has its basis in the love that God manifests for us and in the sense of solidarity and fellowship that should exist in interpersonal relationships among the children of God. Gutiérrez developed several concepts in concert with education activist and philosopher Paulo Freire, whose 1968 seminal work Pedagogy of the Oppressed explored the concept of praxis and a preferential option for the poor.^[35][36]

Gutiérrez died from pneumonia in a convent in Lima on 22 October 2024, at the age of 96.^[3][9] On 23 October 2024, a wake service, vespers, and Mass celebrating the memory of Gutiérrez were all held at the Dominican residence in Lima where he resided.^[37] On 24 October, Gutiérrez was granted a public funeral at Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary, presided over by Archbishop of Lima Carlos Castillo Mattasoglio.^[37][38][39] Moments before the funeral began, a video broadcast of Pope Francis aired in which he paid to tribute to Gutiérrez, describing him as "A man of the Church who knew how to be silent when he had to be silent, who knew how to suffer when it was his turn to suffer, who knew how to carry forward so much apostolic fruit and so much rich theology."^[38] The pope's video broadcast, which took place from Rome, had been prepared by the Archbishopric of Lima.^[38][39]

It was estimated that more than 1,000 people, in person as well as virtually, attended Gutiérrez's funeral.^[39] Among those who spoke at his funeral where UNEC national advisor and Chiclayo leader Yolanda Díaz, cartoonist Juan Acevado and Provincial Superior of the Dominicans of Peru Fr. Romulo Vasquez Gavidia, OP.^[39] Following the funeral, Gutiérrez's remains were taken to Cristo Redentor Parish in Rímac, where he served as the priest.^[39] Castillo delivered a homily, while Father Andrés Gallego, who replaced Gutiérrez as the parish priest, delivered a farewell prayer.^[39][37] In addition to his Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary ceremony, Gutiérrez's Cristo Redentor Parish and burial ceremonies were open to the public as well.^[37] Gutiérrez's body is buried in El Ángel Cemetery.^[37]

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Gutiérrez was an influential figure within 20th century theology, and responses to his work have been polarized.^{[citation needed]} Arthur F. McGovern identifies liberation theology as an anomaly within theologian fields, arguing such discourse is generally limited to academic circles and that such theories can have considerable and tangible impact on Latin America's socioeconomic conditions.^{[citation needed]}

Liberation theology was intended as a call to all believers in Latin America to act on the biblical commitment to the poor.^{[citation needed]} Gutiérrez's message on material and economic conditions serves to place inequality in both religious and political discourse.^{[citation needed]} Gutiérrez's thought has influenced theology, both in Latin America and abroad.^{[citation needed]} This influence can be observed from the evangelical proposal of the integral mission developed years after the origin of liberation,^[40] to the development of social ministries within the evangelical churches in the last decades.^[41]

Among Gutiérrez's most prominent followers are Hugo Echeray [es] and Luis Felipe Zegarra Russo [es].^{[citation needed]} His friends included the German theologian Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.^{[citation needed]} Müller, after studying his thought, stated: "The theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez, how it is considered, is orthodox because it is orthopractic and teaches us the correct Christian way of acting, since it derives from authentic faith."^[42] On his 90th birthday, in 2018, Pope Francis thanked him for his contributions "to the church and humanity through your theological service and your preferential love for the poor and discarded of society."^[43] While Gutiérrez's propositions were never censored by the Church, he was asked to modify some of them.^[44]

Gutiérrez also took pains to prevent his theology from being drawn into the wider network of controversial stances adopted by some of his colleagues. For example, once in the 1970s in Córdoba, Argentina, he refused to begin his lecture until Father Jerónimo Podestá, a fellow liberation theologian who argued for the right of priests to marry, left the room.^[45]

In 1984, the Holy See, under Pope John Paul II, criticized aspects of liberation theology, taking particular issue with its use of Marxist economic theory. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger asked Peruvian bishops to examine Gutiérrez's writings, voicing concerns that Gutiérrez's arguments embodied a concerning "idealization of faith".^[46] As a result, Gutiérrez and liberation theology were the subjects of 36-page Vatican report, which declared Marxism to be incompatible with Catholic teachings.^[19]

According to Arthur F. McGovern, assessing the movement and its critics is complicated by the fact that it became the subject of popular controversy outside of theological and academic circles, including stories and advertisements in the popular press that evoked passionate responses by identifying liberation theology with Communism and fear of radicalism in Latin American politics.^[47]

Gutiérrez was a member of the Peruvian Academy of Language. In 1993, he was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government for his tireless work. In 2000, Brown University awarded Gutiérrez an honorary Doctor of Divinity.^[48] In 2002, Gutiérrez was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences^[37] and, in 2003, he received the Príncipe de Asturias award. In 2014, he was awarded the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize from Brandeis University.^[49] In 2016, he received the Pacem in Terris Award from St. Ambrose University.^[50]

• On the Side of the Poor: The Theology of Liberation. Co-authored with Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller. Orbis Books, 2015: ISBN 978-1626981157^[51]
• In the Company of the Poor: conversations between Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez. Ed. Michael Griffin and Jennie Weiss Block. Orbis Books, 2013: ISBN 978-1626980501^[52]
• Las Casas: In Search of the Poor of Jesus Christ, trans. Robert R. Barr (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1993). Originally published as En busca de los pobres de Jesucristo: El pensamiento de Bartolomé de las Casas (Lima: CEP, 1992).^[53]
• The God of Life, trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1991). Originally published as El Dios de la vida (Lima: CEP, 1989).^[54]
• On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent, trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1987). Originally published as Hablar de Dios desde el sufrimiento del inocente (Lima: CEP, 1986).^[55]
• The Truth Shall Make You Free: Confrontations, trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1990). Originally published as La verdad los hará libres: Confrontaciones (Lima: CEP, 1986).^[56]
• We Drink from Our Own Wells: The Spiritual Journey of a People, 20th anniversary ed., trans. Matthew J. O'Connell (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2003; 1st ed., Maryknoll: Orbis, 1984). Originally published as Beber en su propio pozo: En el itinerario espiritual de un pueblo (Lima: CEP, 1983).^[57]
• A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation, 15th anniversary ed., trans. Caridad Inda and John Eagleson (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1988; 1st ed., Maryknoll: Orbis, 1973). Originally published as Teología de la liberación: Perspectivas (Lima: CEP, 1971).^[58]

• Liberation theology
• Black theology
• Christian communism
• Christian left
• Christian socialism
• Progressive Christianity
• Social gospel
• Social justice

• Christian Smith (2002). "Las Casas as Theological Counteroffensive: An Interpretation of Gustavo Gutiérrez's Las Casas: In Search of the Poor of Jesus Christ". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 41: 69–73. doi:10.1111/1468-5906.00100.
• Alexander Nava (2001). The Mystical and Prophetic Thought of Simone Weil and Gustavo Gutiérrez: Reflections on the Mystery and Hiddenness of God. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-5177-1.
• Robert McAfee Brown (1980). Gustavo Gutierrez: Makers of Contemporary Theology. Atlanta: John Knox Press. ISBN 0-8042-0651-1.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gustavo Gutierrez Merino (Peruvian theologian).

Wikiquote has quotations related to Gustavo Gutiérrez.

• Gustavo Gutiérrez on the University of Notre Dame website
• Audio downloads of Gutiérrez's 1995 Drummond Lectures in Scotland
• Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith-August 6, 1984. Instruction on certain aspect of "Liberation Theology"
• Liberation Theology in the World History Encyclopedia