Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako
Theology
of liberation was born from the pain and agony of the countries in
Latin America, as a result of the political, administrative and
financial corruption in most of these countries. This kind of theology
was inspired by Christian theology plus the political, social and
economic requirements.
Theology
of liberation focused on caring about poor, hungry and oppressed. It
also demanded the political, administrative and economic liberalization
of their miserable countries without stealing their national wealth.
This kind of theology traced back to the 60s and 70s of the 20th Century.
It was led by Christian faithful, with the blessing of some prominent
theologians such as Gustavo Gutiérrez of Peru, Leonardo Boff of Brazil,
and Juan Luis Segundo of Uruguay, who supported poor by demanding the
values of social justice, citizenship and their rights for having a
decent life. Every one of them was inspired by the example of Jesus
Christ “revolution”. “I came so that they might have life and have it
more abundantly” (John 10/10), and
stated also: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has
anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let
the oppressed go free” (Luke 4 /18). A theology in which we find inspiring lessons for our current situation.
Theological Features of the Iraqi Protests
Theological Features of the Iraqi Protests
It
is remarkable that the main common factor shared by the demonstrators
of Iraq and Lebanon (who are mostly young people of both gender) is to
hold strongly to their homeland, their legitimate human rights and their
future, facing sectarianism, discrimination, marginalization, exclusion
and the inherent corruption that has been dominated since 2003.
Peaceful Protest.
Like Jesus Christ, who did not carry a sword, but said: “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26: 52). This example has greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi in his peaceful fight against British colonialism in India, and Nelson Mandela who fought the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Eventually, the “change” took place, in spite of the priceless cost. This is what the Iraqi protesters are doing by carrying the Iraqi flag and shouting: “Our souls and blood are the ransom for Iraq”.
Peaceful Protest.
Like Jesus Christ, who did not carry a sword, but said: “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26: 52). This example has greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi in his peaceful fight against British colonialism in India, and Nelson Mandela who fought the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. Eventually, the “change” took place, in spite of the priceless cost. This is what the Iraqi protesters are doing by carrying the Iraqi flag and shouting: “Our souls and blood are the ransom for Iraq”.