The Theology of Gustavo Gutiérrez and Its Echoes in Contemporary Theological Ethics

Given the recent death of the Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928-2024), this essay analyzes two central themes in the thought of this Latin American prophet that have contributed to the renewal of contemporary moral theology after the Second Vatican Council. First, the article explains the novel articulation between the promise of Christian salvation and the human experience of liberation from political and socioeconomic oppression, which is one of Gutiérrez’s most original ideas. Second, it delves into Gutiérrez’s contribution as one of the pioneer theologians in understanding human suffering as a theological challenge that requires complex ethical responses that harmonize the concrete face of the oppressed and their historical conditions with the structural causes that make them victims of social injustice.