Leonardo Boff

Leonardo Boff (1938 - ) was born in Concórdia, Estado de Santa Catarina, Brazil. He is a theologian, philosopher and writer, known for his active support for the rights of the poor and excluded. He is one of the founders of Liberation theology along with Gustavo Gutierrez. He was present in the first reflections that sought to articulate indignance toward misery and marginalization with promisory discourse of the faith, leading to Liberation Theology.

Related Topics:
1938 - Estado de Santa Catarina - Brazil - Theologian - Philosopher - Writer - Liberation theology - Gustavo Gutierrez

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He has always been an ardent of the Human Rights cause, helping to formulate a new, Latin American perspective with "Rights to Life and the ways to maintain them with dignity". Their work helped lead to the formation of more than 1000.000 "ecclesial base communities" (CEBs) among poor Catholics in Brazil and in Latin America. It also criticised the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the social and economic order that oppressed the communities they worked in. Boff found much of the justification for his work in Chapter 1, No. 8 of Lumen Gentium ("Light of the Nations"), a document from Vatican II.

Related Topics:
Human Rights - Latin American - Base communities - Roman Catholic Church - Lumen Gentium - Vatican II

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In 1985, The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly the Inquisition, directed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, silenced him for a year for his book Church, Charisma and Power. He was almost silenced again in 1992 by Rome, this time to prevent him from participating in the Eco-92 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which finally led him to leave the Franciscan religious order and the presbyteral ministry. He has worked as a professor in the academic fields of theology, ethics and philosophy throughout Brazil for most of his life and also as lecturer in many universities abroad such as Heidelberg, Harvard, Salamanca, Barcelona, Lund, Louvain, Paris, Oslo, Torino. He has written more than 100 books, translated into the main languages of this world. In 1997 he was awarded by the Swedish Parliament with the Right Livelihood Award.

Related Topics:
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - Inquisition - Joseph Ratzinger - Franciscan - Heidelberg - Harvard

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