Boff, Leonardo: 1938—: Theologian

views updated

Leonardo Boff: 1938—: Theologian

Brazilian Leonardo Boff served as a Franciscan priest from 1964 until 1992, when he resigned after several years of differences with the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy. A prolific writer, Boff espoused liberation theology, which called for Christians to take up the cause of the poor and oppressed, and to bring about liberation, not just on a spiritual level, but also on a social and economic level. His sharp criticism of the institutional church, combined with his call for the ordination of women and for allowing priests to marry, put him in conflict with the Vatican, and his support for liberation of the poor made him a hero among the working classes of Latin America.

Post-Vatican II Theology

Boff was born on December 14, 1938, in Concórdia, Brazil, a small town in the country's southern region. His father, Mansueto, was a teacher, and his mother, Regina, came from a farm family. Boff studied in 1952 at Seminary of St. Luis de Tolosa in Rio Negro, and from 1953 to 1958 he worked on his college studies at the Seminary of St. Antonio in Agudos. In 1959 he became a novice at the Convent of St. Francis of Assisi.

In the 1960s Boff studied philosophy and theology at the Faculdade de Filosofia (Seminário Maior) da Província da Imaculada Conceição in Curitiba and at the Jesuit Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Petrópolis. He was ordained as a Franciscan priest on December 15, 1964, and subsequently pursued his doctoral studies in systematic theology and philosophy at the University of Münich, Germany, where he came under the influence of renowned Catholic theologian Karl Rahner. During his advanced studies, Boff spent time in the postgraduate departments of the University of Würzburg and Oxford University, concentrating on anthropology and linguistics. He was awarded his doctorate in 1970.

The Second Vatican Council, which took place from 1963-65, sparked a widespread lay movement which gave new emphasis to ecumenical ideas and increased lay participation. In the wake of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical Populum progression, which condemned the effects of capitalism on third-world countries. In Latin America Catholic bishops issued a resolution that encouraged the formation of Christian Base Communities, where laity could gather to foster their spiritual development as well as to pursue social and economic justice.

At a Glance . . .

Born on December 14, 1938, in Concórdia, Brazil; son of Mansueto (a teacher) and Regina Boff. Education: Seminary of St. Luis de Tolosa, 1952; Seminary of St. Antonio, 1953-58; Faculdade de Filosofia (Seminário Maior) da Província da Imaculada Conceição, 1960-61; Jesuit Institute of Philosophy and Theology, 1962-65; University of Münich, Germany, Ph.D., 1970; University of Würzburg and Oxford University, 1968-69. Religion: Roman Catholic.

Career: Institute Teologico Franciscano (Jesuit Institute of Philosophy and Theology), Petrópolis, Brazil, professor, 1970-92; State University of Rio de Janeiro, professor of Ethics, Philosophy of Religion and Ecology 1993-01, professor emeritus, 2001–.

Awards: Religious Book of the Year, France, for Jésus Christ Libérateur, 1974; Religious Book of the Year, The Philippines, for O Pai-nosso: A Oracao de liberacao integral, 1984; Herbert Haag Prize for Freedom of the Church, Switzerland, 1985; Catholic Book Award for Passion of Christ, Passion of the World, 1987; Alfonso Comin International Prize for community and human rights work, Barcelona, 1987; honorary doctorate, University of Turin, 1991; National Prize for Human Rights, Rio de Janeiro, 1992; honorary doctorate, University of Lund, 1992; Thomas Morus Medaille, for firmness of conscience, 1992; Right Livelihood Award: The Prize for Outstanding Vision and Work on Behalf of Our Planet and Its People, 2001.

Address: Office— Caixa Postal 22 144, Itaipava, Petropólis, R.J., CEP 25741-970, Brazil. E-mail: boff @uol.com.br.

Another factor that influenced Boff's point of view was the political situation in Brazil, which had undergone a military coup in 1964 after more than 20 years of a harsh and corrupt dictatorship. Even though a new government had improved Brazil's world economic standing, the wealth was still concentrated in a few hands, and the majority of Brazilians remained poor and underprivileged. As the church began to speak out for the needs of the people, the government responded by jailing, torturing, and sometimes murdering the more radical members of the community. In all, the post-Vatican position of the Catholic Church and the political environment in Brazil had set the stage for Boff to call for the Church, as the representative of Christ, to work for the freedom of the oppressed.

"Christ as Liberator"

Boff's troubles with the Catholic Church hierarchy began with the contents of his doctoral dissertation, written and published in German in 1972, and translated as The Church as Sacrament from the Point of View of Secular Experience. In his thesis Boff declares that the church should focus on a vision of the absolute fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. This argument was founded on utopian principles that called on all Christians to rid themselves of any ideologies, whether secular or ecclesiastic, that would delay the coming of the Kingdom. Following the completion of his studies, Boff returned to Petrópolis in 1970 to take a teaching position at the Institute Teologico Franciscano, where he would remain on the faculty until 1991. He also became editor of Brazil's leading theological publication, Revista Ecclesiastica Brasileira, as well as of the Portuguese-language edition of Concilium.

In the 1970s Boff published another work, translated from the Portuguese as Jesus Christ Liberator, which sets out his position that Latin America, as a third-world region, needs its own indigenous theology, separate from the teachings generated by Europeans. In his first major theological work since his dissertation, Boff outlines five criteria for a meaningful interpretation of the Gospel message for the Latin American church. First, the church's focus should be on human need rather than church dogma; second, the church should not accept the suffering of the poor as inevitable; third, the church should be open to dialogue with the world outside its own walls; fourth, the church should actively work to liberate the poor and oppressed; and fifth, the church's foundation must center on Christ's call to correct action rather than correct beliefs (orthodoxy). In the book Jesus is portrayed as socially radical, in effect a revolutionary, in his commitment to the poor and oppressed.

A prolific writer, Boff published scores of works, mostly published in Portuguese by a Franciscan press. Many titles were translated into English, including Liberating Grace, Way of the Cross—Way of Justice, The Lord's Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation, and Salvation and Liberation. Throughout his writings, Boff continued to stress that Christ was on the side of the poor and oppressed. He was attentive to the significant role of the Catholic Church as a community, but also delineated its sins and abuses as an institution. Years later Boff told the New Internationalist, "You see, I believe the Pope wants a Church of the rich for the poor, but not with the poor."

Silenced by Church

Boff's writing began making the Catholic Church hierarchy uncomfortable. In 1981 he published a collection of essays which were translated as Church: Charism and Power: Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church. In the original Portuguese, the work carried the subtitle Essays in Militant Ecclesiology. (Ecclesiology is the study of church doctrine.) Commenting in the Christian Century, theologian Robert McAfee Brown noted: "There is a message here for theologians who want to stay out of trouble: if you must write, don't write about ecclesiology; and if you must write about ecclesiology, don't write militantly. Boff did. And he got in trouble."

Franciscan Joseph Kloppenburg, Boff's former teacher, and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Vatican's Sacred Congregation, reviewed the work and made known their opposition. Both charged that the writings were heretical. Within the Vatican, Ratzinger, who was responsible at the Vatican for defending and protecting the doctrinal integrity of the Church, sent Boff a six-page letter that detailed the charges against him. At the basis of Ratzinger's concern was that Boff was intertwining theology so extensively with history, politics, sociology, and philosophy that Boff's ideology distorted doctrinal truths. Ratzinger was also displeased with Boff's disrespectful position on the institutional church.

Boff was summoned to Rome to account for himself and appeared before the Sacred Congregation in September of 1984. Accompanying him, in his defense, was the highly respected Cardinal Alois Lorscheider, the head of the Brazilian Catholic Church, which gave Boff significant credibility. After a closed-door four-hour meeting, Boff seemed satisfied that the talks, described as friendly, had concluded the matter. However, in March of 1985, Boff received an order that would silence him for one year, during which time he was not allowed to publish, lecture publicly, or travel without permission. He was also relieved of his position as editor of Revista Ecclesiastica Brasileira. Boff obediently accepted his censorship for what the Church called "doctrinal errors." Even after the ban was lifted 11 months later, he was assigned a personal censor whose task was to read and approve everything he wrote before it could be published.

As a result of his censorship, Boff became a hero among Brazil's poor and working classes, and he was given honorary citizenship in several Brazilian cities. The conflict with Rome also drew widespread attention around the world, which attracted even more interest in Boff's writings. For a brief period of time, Boff's relationship with the Church softened, when the lifting of his ban was accompanied by a new statement from the Vatican which seemed less harshly critical of liberation theology.

Abandoned Priesthood

The good will would not last long, however. In a 1977 work translated into English as Ecclesiogenesis, the theologian once again questions the role of the institutional church, suggesting that it should co-exist with Christian Base Communities, but should not rule over the communities. Many saw this as an attack on foundational Catholic belief that Christ himself established the church. Boff followed up on Ecclesiogenesis with The Maternal Face of God: The Feminine and Its Religious Expressions, in which he again calls for the ordination of women. Boff continued to add fuel to the fire with a series of articles in 1991 that once again addressed marriage and the priesthood. When the Vatican denied him permission to publish a subsequent work, Boff resigned from the priesthood. He told Newsweek International, "In 1992, they wanted to silence me again. Finally, I said no. The first time was an act of humility and I accepted. The second time was humiliation, and I couldn't accept it."

After leaving the priesthood, Boff married, and in 1993 he became Professor of Ethics, Philosophy of Religion and Ecology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, where he was named professor emeritus in 2001. He has continued to write, with many of his post-1990 publications addressing new areas of the relationship between Christianity and ecology. In a 1993 work translated as Ecology and Liberation, Boff takes up a holistic ecological model, arguing that social ecology and social justice are intricately related. Boff continued this discussion in 1997 in Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, using the ecological problems of his native Amazon region to delineate his arguments.

Although liberation theology has lost much of its momentum since the 1980s, Boff remains dedicated to the cause. He told the New Internationalist, "Today the problem is no longer marginalization of the poor but complete exclusion. The question now is how to survive. That's why liberation theology deals with fundamental issues like work, health, food, shelter, and how we live." Boff continues to write and lectures widely.

Selected writings

Jesus Cristo libertador, Vozes, 1972, translated as Jesus Christ Liberator, Orbis, 1978.

A Graca libertadora no mundo, Vozes, 1976, translated as Liberating Grace, Orbis, 1979.

Via—sacra da justice, Vozes, 1978, translated as Way of the Cross—Way of Justice, Orbis, 1980.

O Pai-nosso: A Oracao de libertacao integral, Vozes, 1979, translated as The Lord's Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation, Orbis, 1983.

Da libertação: O sentido teológico das libertações sócio-historicas, Vozes, 1973, translated as Salvation and Liberation, Orbis, 1984.

Igreja, charisma e poder, Vozes, 1981, translated as Church: Charism and Power: Liberation Theology and the Institutional Church, Orbis, 1985.

Ecclesiogenese, Vozes, 1977, translated as Ecclesio-genesis, Orbis, 1986.

O Rosto materno de Deus: Ensaio interdisciplinary sobre o feminine e suas formas religiosas, Vozes, 1979, translated as The Maternal Face of God: The Feminine and Its Religious Expressions, Orbis, 1987.

Ecologia mundialização, espiritualidade, Editora Atica, 1993, translated as Ecology and Liberation, Orbis, 1995.

Ecologia: grito da terra, grito dos pobres, Editora Atica, 1995, translated as Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, Orbis, 1997.

Sources

Books

Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement, Vol. 22, Gale, 2002.

Ferm, Deane William, Third World Liberation Theologies: An Introductory Survey, Orbis, 1986.

Sigmund, Paul E, Liberation Theology at the Crossroads: Democracy or Revolution?, Oxford University Press, 1990.

Waltermire, Donald E., The Liberation Christologies of Leonardo Boff and Jon Sobrino: Latin American Contributions to Contemporary Christology, University Press of America, 1994.