A Review of Liberation Theology and Praxis in Contemporary Latin America. As it Was in the Beginning?

Liberation Theology and Praxis in Contemporary Latin America. As it Was in the Beginning? edited by Pablo Bradbury and Niall H.D. Geraghty (University of London Press, 2025, 230 pp.)

The book Liberation Theology and Praxis in Contemporary Latin America assumes great relevance with the shifting landscape of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis, whose papacy has signaled a renewed engagement with many of the themes central to liberation theology. From his emphasis on economic justice and ecological responsibility in Laudato Si’ to his advocacy for oppressed communities, Francis has revived aspects of liberationist discourse that were marginalized under previous pontificates.

While some within the Vatican welcome this direction, others resist what they see as an encroachment of political activism into theological doctrine. This book captures the significance of these ongoing debates, demonstrating how liberation theology’s core concerns—social justice, gender equity and ecological responsibility—are once again at the forefront of global Catholic discussions. As the Church grapples with pressing issues such as the role of women, the response to climate change and the protection of human rights in authoritarian regimes, this volume provides essential insights into the theological and political stakes of these transformations.

Edited by historian Pablo Bradbury and cultural studies professor Niall H.D. Geraghty, the volume challenges the common perception that the movement peaked in the 1970s and faded into irrelevance. It presents a compelling case for its ongoing evolution, demonstrating how it intersects with contemporary struggles for justice, gender equality, environmental activism and human rights. Through a series of interdisciplinary contributions, the book highlights the enduring relevance of liberation theology’s core concerns while expanding its scope beyond traditional ecclesial and political frameworks. The chapters range from historical analyses of the Movement of Priests for the Third World in Argentina and participatory action research in Colombia to more recent engagements with human rights, feminist theology and ecofeminism. The book’s strength lies in its ability to weave together historical context, theoretical innovation, and grounded ethnographic research, offering both a retrospective analysis and a forward-looking discussion on how liberation theology continues to shape Latin American social movements.

In their introduction, Bradbury and Geraghty set the stage for the volume by arguing that liberation theology’s core principles—the preferential option for the poor, grassroots activism and structural critiques of oppression—have continued to evolve and shape social movements, theological thought, and political struggles. They provide a historical overview of liberation theology’s institutionalization at the 1968 Medellín Conference, the tensions within the Church that followed, and the backlash under Pope John Paul II, who sought to curb its influence. Rather than treating liberation theology as a static movement, the introduction frames it as an adaptable and contested discourse, one that has intersected with human rights advocacy, feminist and eco-theologies and participatory action research. By weaving together historical, theological and political perspectives, Bradbury and Geraghty demonstrate that the question is not whether liberation theology has survived but how it continues to shape Latin American religious and social realities.

The following chapter, “Conflict and Ecclesiology: Obedience, Institutionality, and People of God in the Movement of Priests for the Third World,” examines the tensions between institutional Catholicism and radical social engagement through the lens of the Movimiento de Sacerdotes para el Tercer Mundo (MSTM) in Argentina. Emerging in the late 1960s, MSTM sought to realign the Church with the struggles of the poor, advocating for a decentralized, participatory model of ecclesiology inspired by liberation theology and the reforms of Vatican II. Bradbury explores how MSTM members attempted to balance loyalty to the Church hierarchy with their commitment to social transformation, often finding themselves in direct conflict with conservative bishops and Vatican authorities. MSTM’s relationship with Peronism further complicated its internal cohesion, as some priests viewed political alliances as necessary for structural change, while others feared co-optation. By tracing the movement’s rise, fragmentation, and eventual decline, Bradbury offers a meaningful historical analysis of how liberationist clergy navigated ecclesial authority and political engagement, providing a nuanced perspective on the limits and possibilities of radical Catholic activism in Latin America.

Chapter 2, “Legacies of the ‘Bridge Man’: Catholic Accompaniment, Inter-class Relations, and the Classification of Surplus in Montevideo,” by Patrick O’Hare, explores the role of Catholic social engagement in bridging class divides in Uruguay. The chapter focuses on the legacy of Padre Cacho, a priest who immersed himself in the lives of Montevideo’s waste pickers (clasificadores), developing a theology of accompaniment that sought to foster relationships between the urban poor and wealthier Catholic benefactors. O’Hare examines how material goods—particularly waste and surplus—became key mediators in these inter-class relationships, as upper-class Catholics sought to enact their faith through donations, housing cooperatives and urban development projects. However, the chapter also highlights the tensions within these interactions, as the ideal of horizontal solidarity often clashed with deeply ingrained hierarchies and paternalistic attitudes among wealthier benefactors. Drawing on ethnographic research, O’Hare argues that while liberation theology provided a framework for engagement with the poor, it did not always lead to an equal redistribution of power, as class boundaries and expectations of moral obligation remained firmly in place.

Chapter 3, “Orlando Fals Borda’s Participatory Action Research: At and Beyond the Crossroads of Camilo Torres’s Neo-Socialism and Liberation Theology,” by Juan Mario Díaz-Arévalo, examines the intellectual and activist legacy of Orlando Fals Borda, a foundational figure in Participatory Action Research (PAR), and his engagement with liberation theology and radical politics in Colombia. The chapter situates Fals Borda within a broader tradition of engaged scholarship, showing how his work departed from positivist social science by embracing a research methodology rooted in collaboration, political commitment, and social transformation. Díaz-Arévalo explores how Fals Borda’s relationship with Camilo Torres, a Catholic priest and sociologist who later joined the guerrilla movement, influenced his commitment to civic resistance and knowledge production as tools for empowerment. The chapter highlights PAR’s epistemological foundations, which ground legitimacy in community-based empirical knowledge rather than theological revelation. By tracing Fals Borda’s impact on grassroots movements and linking his ideas to contemporary struggles for decolonial research, the chapter reveals how liberationist thought shaped not only theological discourse but also methodologies of resistance and knowledge production in Latin America.

One of the volume’s most thought-provoking contributions comes from Fernando Luiz Lara´s “The Impact of Liberation Theology in the Latin American Built Environment,” which explores how liberation theology influenced urban planning and participatory architecture. This important perspective underscores the movement’s material impact on Latin American societies, beyond the realm of liturgical or doctrinal debates. The author argues that the movement’s emphasis on grassroots empowerment and the preferential option for the poor shaped urbanization processes across Latin America, particularly through self-managed housing projects, land occupations and participatory urbanism. Ecclesial base communities (CEBs) played an especially crucial role in these developments, fostering collective decision-making and community-led architectural practices. The chapter highlights how Catholic universities and progressive architects integrated liberationist principles into their work, promoting an approach to design that was responsive to local needs rather than imposed from above. One of Lara’s key insights is that while modernist architecture in Latin America has often been associated with elite-driven projects, liberation theology contributed to a democratization of the built environment, ensuring that marginalized communities had a say in shaping their own spaces.

Chapter 5, “When Liberation Theology Met Human Rights,” by Anna Grimaldi, explores the complex and evolving relationship between liberation theology and the international human rights movement, particularly in the context of Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964–1985). Initially, many liberation theologians were skeptical of human rights discourse, viewing it as rooted in Western liberalism and complicit in sustaining capitalist structures that perpetuated economic inequality. However, as state repression intensified and clergy members became targets of persecution, theologians and activists began to adopt human rights language to denounce political violence and advocate for justice. Grimaldi traces this shift by examining the role of key figures such as Dom Hélder Câmara, who bridged the gap between Catholic social teaching and human rights activism, as well as the influence of transnational solidarity networks that connected Latin American theologians with European and North American advocacy groups. The chapter highlights how liberation theology ultimately reshaped human rights discourse by introducing a more structural and collective understanding of justice—one that went beyond individual civil liberties to include economic and social rights.

Chapter 6, Women, the Key to Liberation? A Feminist Theology of Liberation at the Catholic Women’s Conference at Puebla, by Natalie Gasparowicz, offers a critical examination of the Mujeres para el Diálogo (MPD) Conference, a gathering of Catholic women that took place alongside the Third Conference of Latin American Bishops (CELAM III) in Puebla in 1979. While CELAM III largely neglected women’s perspectives in its official deliberations, the MPD conference provided a platform for Catholic women to articulate a gendered critique of both Church and state structures, positioning women’s struggles as central to the broader theological discourse on liberation. Gasparowicz explores how MPD participants engaged with, yet also challenged, traditional liberation theology, arguing that male theologians often overlooked the specific ways in which women experienced oppression within ecclesiastical and societal frameworks.

The chapter delves into key debates at the conference, including the role of women in the Church, birth control and state-imposed sterilization policies, highlighting how Catholic feminists in Latin America sought to redefine liberation theology through the lens of gender justice. Gasparowicz traces the conference’s long-term impact, showing how it paved the way for the emergence of feminist liberation theology and inspired later movements advocating for reproductive rights and gender equality within the Church. By uncovering this often-overlooked history, the chapter makes a significant contribution to the study of liberation theology, demonstrating that its evolution has been shaped not only by class and economic struggles but also by the persistent efforts of Catholic women to claim their space within theological and activist movements.

Similarly, Ely Orrego Torres offers in Chapter 7, “Towards the Possibility of an Ecofeminist Political Theology: The Case of the Con-spirando Collective,” a compelling exploration of how feminist and ecological concerns intersect with political theology in Latin America. Challenging the traditional male-dominated and anthropocentric frameworks of political theology, Orrego Torres argues for a broader, more inclusive vision that incorporates the lived experiences of women and their spiritual relationship with the environment. The chapter focuses on the Chilean Con-spirando collective, a feminist theological movement that emerged in the 1990s as a space for reflection, activism and spiritual renewal. Through communal rituals, storytelling, and embodied practices, the collective reimagines religious experience outside hierarchical Church structures, embracing an alternative form of power based on interconnectedness rather than domination. Orrego Torres situates ecofeminism within the broader history of liberation theology, showing how it critiques not only economic oppression but also the exploitation of women and nature. While deeply rooted in the Latin American experience, the chapter raises broader questions about the future of political theology and its potential to incorporate feminist and ecological perspectives.

The afterword of the book, written by Elizabeth O’Donnell Gandolfo, serves as a reflective conclusion to the volume, reinforcing the book’s central argument that liberation theology remains a dynamic and evolving force in Latin America. O’Donnell Gandolfo revisits the foundational themes explored throughout the book (e.g. grassroots activism, feminist and eco-theological perspectives and the intersection of liberation theology with human rights) and situates them within the broader context of global theological and political discourse. The author also highlights the enduring legacy of martyrdom in Latin America, acknowledging the risks and sacrifices made by those who continue to challenge oppressive systems in the name of faith and justice. In doing so, she echoes the book’s overall thesis: while liberation theology has transformed in response to new realities, its core commitment to the preferential option for the poor remains as urgent as ever. O’Donnell Gandolfo invites scholars and activists alike to engage with liberation theology not merely as a historical phenomenon but as a living, breathing tradition that continues to shape Latin American religious and political life.

Yet, for all its strengths, the book leaves certain areas underexplored. The rise of Pentecostal and Evangelical movements, which have dramatically reshaped Latin America’s religious landscape in recent decades, receives only a little attention. While Catholic liberation theologians have historically been wary of these movements, Pentecostalism has developed its very own approaches to address social justice, transformation and political engagement, sometimes in direct opposition to liberationist ideals and, at other times, in unexpected alignment with them. A deeper engagement with these shifting religious dynamics would have added further depth to the discussion and would have made the book an important bridge to other sister fields. While some chapters briefly also mention Indigenous spiritual practices and decolonial critiques, these perspectives remain marginal. Given the centrality of land struggles and environmental justice to contemporary Latin American activism, integrating Indigenous theological reflections on these issues could have offered valuable insights into the movement’s evolving praxis.

Despite these omissions, the book makes a significant contribution and challenges the notion that theology and activism are separate spheres, showing how religious discourse continues to shape political resistance and social movements. This volume is therefore an essential reading for scholars of religion, history and Latin American studies, as well as for activists and policymakers seeking to understand the enduring impact of liberationist thought. Its interdisciplinary approach and focus on contemporary applications ensure that it will resonate far beyond theological circles.

 Stefan van der Hoek is the Research Director at the Protestant University of Bochum, Germany. His research focuses on religion, migration, and diaspora, exploring how religious beliefs and other intersecting social differences shape conflicts within societies. He has authored numerous research papers on Latin American religions.

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