Pope Francis was deeply convinced of his ideas

Theologian Boff sees a divided Church – follow the historical Jesus

Paris - He was a friend of Pope Francis: Liberation theologian Leonardo Boff sees the church as deeply divided. How his ideas came to fruition after years of being muzzled by the Vatican.

Published on 16.09.2025 at 12:56 –

The Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff sees the Church deeply divided. Boff told the French newspaper "La Croix" on Monday that from the fourth century onwards, a large part of the ecclesiastical institution had "allied itself with power". On the other hand, "another part of the Church, that of St Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis and many saints", was committed to the poor. "The church is very divided."

In view of this, Boff believes that the most important thing is to follow the historical Jesus, who always stood on the side of the poor, oppressed and marginalised: "He inspires us to humanity and charity and teaches us that God is a Father whose mercy knows no bounds."

Liberation theology today

Boff described liberation theology as "the most vital force in the church. For as long as poor people cried out for justice, there would be Christians "who follow in the footsteps of Jesus, implement liberation practices and reflect on the basis of these practices".

His friend Pope Francis (2013-2025) was deeply convinced by his ideas: "After his election, I advised him not to focus on a 'green ecology', but on an 'integral ecology' that encompasses ecological, social, political, cultural and spiritual aspects," Boff recalls. Asked by Francis in 2013, he sent him his thoughts on the subject. With success, as the theologian reports: "After that, I continued to send him documents about the Argentinian ambassador to the Holy See, Eduardo Valdés, with whom he often drank mate in the morning. The encyclical 'Laudato si' contained many topics that I had worked out and sent to him."

The rocky road of liberation theology

Boff's theology was not always well received by the Vatican: The South American theologian had been summoned to the Vatican in 1984 by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II had feared that liberation theology could promote Marxism in Latin America and forced him into "submissive silence" for a period of eleven months.

In 1992, the papal nuncio in Brazil wanted to sanction him again after a lecture at the United Nations, Boff reports. But the theologian did not comply with the demand to leave the country. Instead, he replied: "The first time I accepted silence as an act of humility. This time it is an act of humiliation that violates human rights. I do not accept that." So he gave up the priesthood in order to continue his work. (KNA)