A Time for Liberation Theology?

Bush supporters lamenting the loss of the Pope could soon be in for a rude shock. In Haiti, where US forces last year forcibly removed the Democratically-elected President Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest and U.S. critic says he may seek Haiti's presidency if Aristide cannot come back and run for office.

In Latin America, the Catholic Church is the only institution that is as universally despised - and yet (ironically) as inextricably bound into the fabric of daily life - as the United States. Like the USA, the Church has a history of centuries of oppression in the region, but it has now begun to acknowledge past offences and even seek to make amends. Liberation theology is a strong regional "brand" of Catholicism which takes the Christian message of "selling all you have and giving to the poor" quite literally. It includes calls for widespread socio-political change, including revolutionary ideas like land reform. Understandably, it is every US right-wing, war-loving, GOP-supporting "Christian" Evangelist's worst nightmare.

Pope John Paul II was very careful to keep the Liberation Theology genii in the bottle, without quite closing the door to its millions of ardent supporters. He personally appointed nearly all of the conservative cardinals who will now elect a new Pope, so chances are the next Pope will not be a strong advocate. But like the call for female priests, Liberation Theology is one thing the next Pope will not be able to ignore.

There is an opportunity here for radical change, particularly given the recent successes of left-leaning governments across Latin America. Bush & Co may govern the Western air-waves, but elsewhere life goes on changing in more than a little bit mysterious ways.