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Gustavo Gutiérrez, father of 'liberation theology', dies at 96

The Peruvian Catholic priest who founded the 'liberation theology' movement in South America - Father Gustavo Gutiérrez - has died in Lima - aged 96. He developed his Christian philosophy in the 1960s - writing a book published in 1971 called 'Theology of Liberation'. He faced criticism from the start for politicising the faith - many thought his teachings were too radically left-wing - but as his views became more and more popular in the late 1970s and 80s - he was increasingly viewed as an enemy by the Vatican. Michael Lee - Professor of Theology at Fordham University in the United States - knew Father Gutiérrez. Rebecca Kesby asked him how he would define liberation theology?

(Photo: Gustavo Gutiérrez in an undated photo. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)

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8 minutes