REBELLION OF THE SPIRIT

Interview with Leonardo Boff

[“Can one live quietly and happily knowing that two-thirds of humankind are impoverished, suffer and starve to death?’ For the Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff, one of the founders of liberation theology, the impetus for a theology that struggles for more justice lies in the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. As a guest at the World Forum for Theology and Liberation (January 21-25, 2005, Porto Alegre, Brazil), he speaks in this interview about the prerequisites of engaged theology and its confidence that change is possible. This interview is translated from the German on the World Council of Churches web site, http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesge.nsf/index/Feat-05-02.html.]

The World Forum for Theology and Liberation aims at the whole world with its theological reflections, not at a certain region. On the other hand, liberation theology had its beginning in Latin America’s concrete situation. Is the call for liberation really heard worldwide?

Leonardo Boff: Liberation theology as a protest against suffering is not regionally restricted. Every form of oppression, every cry of the poor, oppressed and excluded anywhere in the world is an appeal to theology. That the cries are heard is a basic assumption. However can one really live calmly and happily knowing that two-thirds of humankind are impoverished, suffer and starve to death? Whoever is human must have compassion. This solidarity, a basic characteristic of humankind, is gradually lost in a culture of material values. We must hear the cry of the poor and the cry of our earth. Both the earth and humanity are threatened. We have to do something to change the situation. No Noah’s ark will save some of us.

Is change possible?

Leonardo Boff: Change is a basic human desire. The world as it is helps a large part of humanity to damnation, not to life. I believe change is possible because I cannot accept a God who is indifferent to this world. God turns to the poor and suffering. God’s grace gives strength for resistance, strength for liberation and opens new paths. Grace appears very concretely in our world. The living God is at work in his grace wherever life is preserved and defended.

Even if the longing for liberation is not regionally limited, classical liberation theology is marginalized at least in countries like Germany though the situation in the world has not changed for the better. How do you explain this?

Leonardo Boff: Theology of liberation only has a meaning when the question of justice, the fate of the poor and oppressed represents a real challenge for faith. It presupposes sensitivity for the relevance of the questions of the contemporary world. When a theology has no sense for reality, it may have usefulness for the church, be interesting for academic courses and provide a certain illustration of the spirit. However it has little to do with the living God and his works in history and can hardly contribute to changing our world.

Can this sensitivity be reawakened?

Leonardo Boff: To that end, one must see the course of the world. For example, whoever through television is confronted with the poverty of the world, wars, catastrophes and economic crises will sense that our world has fallen in deep disorder and that we must protest. Liberation theology and every engaged theology presupposes this rebellion of the spirit.

Can an engaged theology take root in Europe?

Leonardo Boff: Liberation theology starts from very concrete oppression. This can be discovered in one’s own context. What is life like for new immigrants in Germany? What securities do they have? What is life like for people who are poor and discriminated? How are they treated by the population and social institutions? This is the immediate challenge for every engaged theology.

You emphasize the preservation of creation as one of the crucial tasks for an engaged theology. Wasn’t the option for those cut short originally at the center of liberation theology?

Leonardo Boff: Both are bound inseparably together. With the triad, justice, peace and preservation of creation, the World Council of Churches found a metaphor that revives the great utopias of the world. These three dimensions cannot be separated. Without justice, shared life is impossible. Peace means just relations to other persons, other cultures, nature and to God. Preservation of creation is the basis. If we destroy the creation, all other projects are impossible. For me, this triad is a little summary of the Good News of the gospel. Even if the nature of utopia can never be completely fulfilled, it shows us the way like a compass and motivates us not to give up.

The World Council of Churches will meet here in Porto Alegre in 2005 for its 9th plenary assembly. The assembly will convene under the theme “O God in your grace, transform the world.” How does the largest worldwide ecumenical community help you in your work?

Leonardo Boff: Religion should awaken and nourish the spirituality of people. The spiritual dimension is an expression of a deep experience of the spirit, an experience of being, the experience of God in the world. This spirituality is a quality of every person, not a monopoly of the religions. The challenge of religion for me consists in opening areas for the spirituality of people. When this is achieved, humanity will be more sensitive, more humane and more in solidarity.