THE POOR: PRESENT IN OUR HISTORY AND IN OUR CHURCH Gustavo Gutierrez I would like to consider this “theology from the underside of history” from the Latin American point of view. First, the main point, the most impor- tant point in the recent history of Latin America is what we can call the erup- tion of the poor, the violent presence of the poor making itself known in our con- tinent, Until now, poor people have been absent from our history. But they are becoming present. This fact is the central point forthe life ofthe Christan community, the church, in our sub- continent and for all’ our society. ‘Around this event we can understand the historical process of Latin America and the situation ofthe Latin American church, The event ofthe eruption ofthe poor is a way to understand, for example, the ‘current situation in El Salvador or in Bolivia. Its very clear. In Bolivia we have this presence, this eruption of the poor, but for the dominant groups this is intolerable, So, they have seized the country in a coup d'etat ‘The poor people are becoming more and more present in our history and in the life of our church, This is the pro: cess. They are becoming present through struggles for iberation, through new consciousness of human dignity, and in other ways. The church now ‘must take a position infront ofthis his- torical event. When | say “poor,” | am speaking about real poverty. In the GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ is « Catholic priest, author and theologian. He. is engaged in pastoral work among workers tnd students in Lima, Pera Christian milieu we say “material pov- erty.” The central point, the eruption of the poor, has been outside of our eccle- siastical point of view. But, the poor are rot the problem for the church; the church isthe problem for the poor! ‘The real poor, those who live in material poverty, are not individuals or private persons, but social groups. ‘They are social groups defined by race, class, sex, culture, It is because of this fact thatthe eruption of the poor is so conflictual. One individualis not terribly conflictual, but the social group is di- ferent. Sometimes when speaking with some friends from this country, I recog. nize the custom you have 10 talk of “minorities.” But in our country the poor are the majority! The right of ‘minorities isthe right ofthe rich people. ‘And itis not only a statistical point of, view, It ie different, The minorities of ‘our countries are involved in another ‘way in our liberation process. There is a Quechua word to describe what was happening when the Euro- peans came to our continent. For these Quechua people, the world was pacha- hhuti, which means to put the world into reverse. This was what was hap: pening for the Indians, because for them the normal society ‘was the Indian society, The new European Hispanic sociely was a wrong society. Now per haps we ate leading another pachakut: the eruption the poor of Latin Ameri ca is turning our world around again . . . the poor are not the problem for the church; the church is the problem for the poor! Second point. Itseems to me that to do theology in tis context, to try to tnderstand our faith, is one expression othe right ofthe poor to think. To think is theology. Theology isnot the Chr tian Ble. Theology i to think and tis a right of the poor people. Maybe you remember a famous text of the black churches ofthis county ‘The fist sentence: “The Blacks aim that they exist.” This is very strong! It seems to me this is the expression for cur poor people, oo. They exist! Ando fellect is a manner of expressing their existence. To be present through this rellection of faith in the Lord, reflection on the berating faith, is one way tobe present in our history andin our church, It is an attempt to keep the private owners of the goods of this world from boeing the private owners ofthe Word of the Lord, too. Therefore, this theology from the poor people is not an academic exercise. It comes from the explosive situation the poor are creating. To think. is a way to have power in history, be- cause if we do not have a theology coming from the poor people, then ‘others are thinking for us! If we don't read the Bible, others are reading the Bible for us. And theology in this con- text is an expression of this right to think This theology is, it seems to me, above al, a theology of life. Liberation is life, To liberates to share life; tis not to share death, but life. This theology from the poor people is always a the: ology about life because the main ‘expression ofthe poor peopleis the right toll, They exist! And this theology will have human life, material and spiritual, its main concern It seems to me that this is the meaning of many efforts now intheology coming from Black and His- ‘panic people in this country, from Asia, from Africa, from women, from all who hhave made’ an option to be with the poor,Alltheseelforts, it seems tome, come the invitation is given tothe uninvited i from this explosive situation. Perhaps the love of God. The reasonis not based the only way, then, in which we ean ‘on personal merits but on the love of speak about the resurrection ofthe Lord God. During the recent visit of John is by being conscious ofthe concrete life Paul Il to Brazil, some people who had and death struggles of our people. It is come to see him pass by in the city had impossible to speak of the resurrection taken a banner, a very big banner, of the Lord if we are not aware of the which carried one sentence: “WE ARE, The only way. . . we can speak about the resurrection of the Lord is by being conscious of the concrete life and death struggles of our people. deaths of our people. Death i always HUNGRY!” This is not ideological: we the first point in reflection on resurrec- are Marxist, we are Communist. But, tion. Thi is very traditional A pastcn toe are hungry! Because ofthe reality of lar case that we allknow shat of Mon these people, the Pope later said a senor Romero, of El Salvador. Monse prayer about hunger. This isthe truth nor Romero, in solidarity with his The church must be constructed by the people, the poor people, offered very __eopl, by the hungry people. Thi i Strong elections about resurecionbe- —-—Svangelical. It is not socal analysis Gauss he ved the experience ofthe ‘Well maybe i social analysis, too, death of hie people and, finaly, of his ut itis very evangelical! The poor are ‘own death. non 7 the uninvited: If we want to be invited "Third and lst point. It sems to me too, we must be in solidaiy withthe thatthe church is oming aay from uninvited. wha is called an “evangecal” parable | was speaking earlier about theologt about the uninvited. We have two kinds cal questions, theological reflection, and of persons, the invited and the unin 1 would like to adda smal point, act ‘ited, at, remember, as inthe parable, ally for me, a very important point, the invitation isnot dfitive, We are From the perspective of the theology of not invited definitely. No. The reason liberation, we say tha the first act constructed by the people, by the Aungry people. — involvement in the struggle for ibera- tion; theology comes after. Theology is the second moment, the second act. I ‘would like to say now that this distinc tion, this relationship, between the two acts isnot simply a theological question, of method. Itisalife style. The two ele ‘ments ofthis relationship make up not only a technical procedure, but a life style. In a very traditional word, the relationship of thetwo acts comprise our spirituality. We would like to be on this level: not only to do theology but to have this theology coming from our Cristian life, from faith. For me this ‘methodology is a way to be Christian, Justa last word. My intention tonight vias not to touch your sensibilities about ‘our poverty and misery. Rather, my in. tention was to remind you of, and ‘maybe to call you to, our responsibility, in which consists our response of faith ‘Ofcourse 'm a Christan! But I'm not an extremist Christin.”