Liberation Theology Combines Religion with Radical Politics

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While broader Catholic theology is concerned with helping the poor, it tends to focus on spiritual growth and understanding Church doctrine. Liberation theology, meanwhile, tends to take a more Marxist orientation toward social and political action against systems of oppression. 

Many theologians began to question the Church’s role in combating injustice and promoting human rights in the 1960s, after the Second Vatican Council. Church leaders (especially in Latin America) shifted their thinking toward a ​“critical reflection on praxis in the light of the word of God,” as Peruvian Dominican priest Gustavo Gutiérrez wrote in the movement’s seminal text, Teología de la Liberación (A Theology of Liberation), in 1971, as much of Latin America was living through poverty and under authoritarian regimes (often reinforced by U.S. foreign policy).

To the extent that it possibly questions established Church hierarchy, yes, though others would emphasize its church-aligned values, like human dignity and the common good.

Pope John Paul II, who led the Church from 1978 to 2005, disciplined several liberation theologians he deemed too ideologically driven. In 1984, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the Vatican office tasked against heresy — condemned liberation theology for its Marxist influences; two years later, the office clarified that a Christian theology of liberation was possible and necessary, but requires spiritual salvation. The late Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, simply emphasized a ​“theology of the people” in solidarity with the poor and oppressed.

During his papal inauguration, Pope Leo XIV called for an end to global violence and hatred, indicating a continuation of Francis’ advocacy for social justice and the poor. He also connected ​“a lack of faith” with ​“appalling violations of human dignity.” In today’s world, where far-right movements are gaining ground globally — often dressing up nationalism and authoritarianism in religious language — liberation theology offers a framework for reclaiming faith as a force for justice. 

It reminds us that faith isn’t just what we believe, but what we do, who we stand with and who we stand against.

This is part of ​“The Big Idea,” a series offering brief introductions to progressive theories, policies, tools and strategies that can help us envision a world beyond capitalism.