The Brazilian archbishop who now
heads the congregation for religious said he almost abandoned the
seminary and the Catholic Church because of the ideological excesses
that emerged in the early years of liberation theology.
"Personally, I lived with a lot of anguish during the years of the birth
of liberation theology," Archbishop Joao Braz de Aviz said in an
interview with the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Feb. 2.
In January, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the former archbishop of
Brasilia to head the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and
Societies of Apostolic Life.
The 63-year-old archbishop said he was studying theology in Rome when
the liberation theology movement was building in Latin America, and it
was at that time that "I came very close to abandoning my priestly
vocation and even the church."
But a strong relationship with the Focolare movement and a dedication to its spirituality of unity "saved me," he said.
Archbishop Braz de Aviz said he appreciated that liberation theology
promoted the preferential option for the poor, which represents "the
church's sincere and responsible concern for the vast phenomenon of
social exclusion."
But while liberation theology, which saw a strong tie between the
spiritual liberation from sin and the need for temporal liberation from
poverty and social ills, had positive elements, there were tendencies
that needed correction, he said.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prepared two documents in
the 1980s "correcting issues linked to using the Marxist method in the
interpretation of reality," he said. Christians must understand the
option for the poor as a religious obligation and not part of an
ideology, he said.
The prefect of the congregation overseeing religious life in the
Catholic Church said that when he was picked for the post, he was
concerned that his not being a member of a religious order would somehow
be a detriment.
But Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, told
him "it didn't cause any problems." He said his experience with the
Focolare movement from the time he was 17 brought him into close contact
with many members of religious orders and congregations.
Part of the problem behind a lack of vocations in religious life, he
said, is because "the influence of today's individualism and relativism
has reached, at least in part, even some areas of consecrated life,
diminishing its vigor."
"The lack of a theological and mystical experience of the Holy Trinity
as the source of communion has brought negative statements about
community life," such as when some religious say the biggest penance
they face is communal living, he said.
The archbishop said consecrated men and women need to explore more
deeply the mystery of God to strengthen their relationships with others.
By truly understanding that God is love and that all people are created
in his image, men and women living in a religious community will be
better able to see those they live with as an opportunity to experience
God and to experience love, he said.
When asked about the problem of misunderstandings between religious
congregations and local bishops, Archbishop Braz de Aviz said, "When
autonomy and dependence became experiences of love, then obedience and
authority reach a balance and foster great inner joy."