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Liberation theology is the name given to the belief that God wants people to take a stand against injustice and oppression. It was a Christian movement that began in Latin America as a response to the poverty and the ill-treatment of ordinary people by the corrupt government.
These are Roman Catholic countries and some Catholic priests have put their lives in danger trying to gain fair treatment for the poor. People who agree with liberation theology say it is not enough just to be kind to the poor – they have to act so that the government changes and the people are not poor and oppressed any more.

Camilo Torres was a priest in Columbia. The government were corrupt and many people did not have proper food or clothing. People who argued with the government were taken away in secret and were sometimes killed or imprisoned without a fair trial. Camilo Torres joined a group of freedom fighters and called for all Christians to join in the fight for human rights for the poor.

Oscar Romero was a Roman Catholic archbishop in El Salvador. He spoke out in church services about the need to defend the poor and weak. He publicly disagreed with the government.  In 1980 he was assassinated
whilst performing the mass.

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In what way might Jesus be seen as a freedom fighter? How did he show opposition to some of the social injustices of his time?

Do you think there is anything wrong with representing Jesus in this way?

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What do you think Oscar Romero meant by 'the violence of love'?

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What do you think Oscar Romero meant by 'the violence of love'?

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The story of Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980 while celebrating Mass. Romero was increasingly outspoken about injustice by the corrupt military and government in the events leading up to his assassination.

Ask students to watch the clip focusing on the reporter account of the assassination of Oscar Romero - his use of language, the selection and use of original film footage and the questions he poses. Then ask them to draft two storyboards for a film report on the same events by two different reporters: a) a reporter from an El Salvadorian newspaper b) a reporter for a Roman Catholic Church newspaper in another country. What changes might there be to language, choice of film clips and questions posed? Students should be encouraged to give reasons for their choices.

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BBC Bitesize - GCSE Religious Studies - Oscar Romero - a modern martyr

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The story of Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of San Salvador, who was assassinated in 1980 while celebrating Mass. Romero was increasingly outspoken about injustice by the corrupt military and government in the events leading up to his assassination.

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Liberation theology was a radical movement that grew up in South America as a response to the poverty and the ill-treatment of ordinary people. The movement was caricatured in the phrase If Jesus Christ were on Earth today, he would be a Marxist revolutionary.

Q: How are we to be Christians in a world of destitution and injustice?

A: There can be only one answer: we can be followers of Jesus and true Christians only by making common cause with the poor and working out the gospel of liberation.

Liberation theology said the church should derive its legitimacy and theology by growing out of the poor. The Bible should be read and experienced from the perspective of the poor.

The church should be a movement for those who were denied their rights and plunged into such poverty that they were deprived of their full status as human beings. The poor should take the example of Jesus and use it to bring about a just society.

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a modern day martyr

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Assassination of Oscar Romero and Liberation Theology

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Oscar Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. He was assassinated on 24 March 1980 while celebrating the Eucharist "oscar romero assassination"

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"The Church should keep out of politics"

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"The Church should keep out of politics"

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Do you agree?

Think of arguments for and against

What is your personal opinion. Post some ideas on this page. Do you think there is ever a time when the Church should speak out against something it sees as an evil?

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Could you do better?

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GCSE RE Revision - Peace and Justice - social injustice

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Why do human rights for all matter to Christians?

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Why do human rights for all matter to Christians?

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How could you link human rights to teachings ...

"on Earth as it is in Heaven" (the Lord's Prayer)

""The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free" (Luke 4)

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Maria Gómez was co-founder of the National Coordination of Salvadoran Women - tackling issues which directly affect poor women in El Salvador, including domestic violence, rape, economic survival, lack of political participation, and social inequality.  In her spare time, Gómez went out into the rural villages and taught the women to read so that they could teach their children and improve the quality of their lives. However, some people in authority became concerned that the peasants would learn about their rights, and would begin to demand them.

On April 5, 1989, as Gómez was returning from work, armed men forced her into a van. Two hours later she was found dead on the side of a main road. Her body showed signs of torture and burns.

After her death, her church commissioned a local artist to paint a wooden cross with scenes from Gómez's life, portraying her work among the poor women of El Salvador. Images of this cross have become internationally recognized, as they are used by churches and schools around the world to tell the story of Gómez's life and death.