Founder of Theology of Liberation
Gustavo Gutierrez Receives Medal for His Defense of the Poor

LIMA PERU – March 19, 2007 His lasting preoccupation for those who are the poorest and  the weakest, as well as his persevering insistence  that the Church not only be vigilant for the spiritual side of human beings, but also that it advocate  a world with social justice, earned him a new distinction. Gustavo Gutiérrez received the Medal “Defender of the People.”

The directive resolution of the Ministry of Public Defense recognizes in Gutierrez his valiant attitude in defense of the poorest and most excluded:
“The Reverend Father Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino is a notable Peruvian, philosopher and catholic priest, who during his life has adopted a valiant attitude in defense of the poorest and most excluded from society. His ideas and attitude have led him to advocate the construction of a just society in which human rights, liberty and democracy are fundamental pillars of citizens. His vision is nourished by a constant search for social inclusion of the poorest and in the promotion of the values of solidarity and vigilance for human rights. His life is a lesson of commitment and of profound understanding of society and the human condition” .

Since 1971 Father Gutierrez has published a body of essays of theological character in which he proposes that Christians construct the Kingdom of God based on the poorest and most forgotten of society. His theses have been claimed by millions of catholic religious and laity all over the world in the last 35 years.

Along with the Dominican religious Gustavo Gutierrez, founder of the Theology of Liberation, the Dominican religious María Estrella del Carmen Valcárcel Muñiz, known as Mother Covadonga, was also recognized.

Sources: Defensoría del Pueblo, Diario La República, IBC

The bestowal of the medal of Father Gutierrez took place, Tuesday March 20 at 7pm in the Cultural Center Inca Garcilasco de la Vega, in Lima. Meanwhile the act of recognition for Madre Covadonga was Thursday, March 22 in the city of Huamanga-Syacucho, Perú.

Translation: Doris Regan OP (Columbus)