Pope Francis & Latin American Theology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course examines the dynamic and distinctive contributions of Latin American theology during the last half century through the writings of Pope Francis focused on poverty and creation. Beginning with the reception of Vatican II in Latin America at the region’s episcopal meetings, the course explores the theological currents that emerged in response to the socioeconomic, cultural, political, and ecological challenges of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Pope Francis’s Argentine “theology of the people” in conversation with liberation theology, Catholic social teaching, and eco-theology introduces students to an array of theologians such as Juan Carlos Scannone, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Maria Clara Bingemer, St. Oscar Romero, Leonardo Boff, and Ivone Gebara. Topics to be considered include ecclesiology, option for the poor, theological method, martyrdom, religious pluralism, popular piety, structural sin, integral ecology, spirituality, human rights, and Indigenous wisdom. Overall, the course considers Latin American theology as a source of reform, renewal, and reflection on the signs of the times for the global Church.