Vatican Bullying of Theological Inquiry
The Vatican has certainly been busy this week. The Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith censured Fr. Jon Sobrina, S.J., a Liberation Theologian for his work on behalf of the poor. “Fr. Sobrino manifests a preoccupation for the poor and oppressed, particularly in Latin America. This preoccupation certainly is shared by the whole Church,” an ambiguous attempt at clarification
However, the CDF continues, "the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), in its Instruction on Christian liberty and liberation 'Libertatis conscientia,' indicated that 'human misery drew the compassion of Christ the Savior to take it upon Himself and to be identified with the least of His brethren,' and that 'the preferential option for the poor, far from being a sign of particularize or sectarianism, manifests the universality of the Church's being and mission. This option excludes no one. This is the reason why the Church cannot express this option by means of reductive sociological and ideological categories which would make this preference a partisan choice and a source of conflict."
Liberation theology is a movement which argues that the Christian gospels show God as having a particular concern for the marginalized and oppressed. It sees God’s action for the poor as a key interpretative tool in reading the Bible, and a decisive element in the vocation and mission of the church.
This is a calculated attempt to suppress alternative voices – one which has also targeted Roger Haight (another Jesuit, and a philosophical theologian of international standing), Jacques Dupuis (an inter-faith scholar), Leonardo Boff (another liberation theology forerunner) and Tissa Balasuriya (a Sri Lankan priest who wrote a controversial book on Mary and liberation).
Those advocating women’s ordination and recognition of lesbian and gay people have also been stamped on hard.
Clearly the Vatican’s action only confirms those who criticize the Vatican’s authoritarian leadership style in dealing with a diversity of opinion. There must be a better way to deal with our theologians, bullying only reflects a inability to deal with their diversity of thought.
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