Christians urged to fight social injustice

Peruvian Roman Catholic theologian Fr Gustav Gutierrez, author of the famous book A Theology of Liberation, yesterday gave the keynote speech at Discern's annual lecture, dwelling on the idea that God speaks particularly through the poor.

The book had caused a major shift in the way many Christians all over the world practised their faith and became the theological manifesto of the liberation movement that gained strength in the 1970s.

Fr Gutierrez called attention to the poor in Latin America and challenged fellow Christians to actively participate in changing the economic and political systems that fostered social injustice.

Liberation theologians argue that the Bible can be better understood when read from the perspective that God speaks particularly through the poor.

Fr Gutierrez, who turned 75 last June, remains an admired figure for his activism on behalf of the poor. He was awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees and in 1993 he was named a member of the Honour Legion by the French government.

Discern's executive director, Rev Dr Joe Inguanez, has called Fr Gutierrez "a priest who made it his mission to show that ours is a God of freedom and not exploitation".

Asked about the choice of Fr Gutierrez as the keynote speaker for the lecture, Fr Inguanez said that while many people were yearning for peace, there seemed to be little of it in sight.

"Peace cannot co-exist with injustice and exploitation. Fr Gutierrez can show us the significance of the option for the poor to the attainment to peace."

The lecture was held at the Radisson SAS Baypoint Resort, in St George's Bay.