Leonardo Boff (; born Genézio Darci Boff, ; 14 December 1938) is a Brazilian

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

writer, and former

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

known for his active support for Latin American liberation theology. He is professor emeritus of ethics, philosophy of religion, and ecology at the Rio de Janeiro State University. In 2001, he received the Right Livelihood Award for "his inspiring insights and practical work to help people realise the links between human spirituality, social justice and environmental stewardship".

Studies as a priest

Boff was born in 1938 in Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. He entered the

Franciscan Order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

in 1959 and was ordained a

in 1964. He spent the following years studying for a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

, which he received in 1970. Boff's doctoral

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

studied in what measure the Church can be a sign of the sacred and the divine in the secular world and in the process of liberation of the oppressed. His thesis was published in German in 1972 as ''Die Kirche als Sakrament im Horizont der Welterfahrung''. His brother is the theologian Clodovis Boff.

Liberation theology

Boff became one of the best-known supporters (along with

Gustavo Gutiérrez Gustavo Gutiérrez-Merino Díaz (8 June 1928 – 22 October 2024) was a Peruvian philosopher, Catholic theologian, and Dominican priest who was one of the founders of liberation theology in Latin America. His 1971 book '' A Theology of Lib ...

, Juan Luis Segundo and

Jon Sobrino Jon Sobrino (born 27 December 1938) is a Spanish Jesuit Catholic priest and theologian, known mostly for his contributions to Latin American liberation theology. He received worldwide attention in 2007 when the Vatican's Congregation for the Doc ...

) of the early liberation theologians. He was present in the first reflections that sought to articulate indignation against poverty and marginalisation with a promissory discourse on

faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

, leading to Latin American liberation theology. He continues to be a controversial figure in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, primarily for his sharp criticism of the church's hierarchy, which he sees as "fundamentalist", but also for his political positions.

Political views

Boff is critical of secular power, as well of

American foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

. He opposed the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

and considered

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

and

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon ( ; also known by his diminutive Arik, ; 26 February 192811 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the prime minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. Born in Kfar Malal in Mandatory Palestin ...

's leadership to be similar to that of "fundamentalist terrorist states". He also criticizes despotic rulers in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, saying: "Those mirs and kingsare despotic, they do not even have a constitution. Though extremely rich, they maintain the people in poverty." Boff has voiced his supported for the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which advocates for democratic reform in the United Nations, and the creation of a more accountable international political system.

Laicization

Authorities in the Catholic Church did not consider Boff's views of the Church's leadership acceptable. They also saw his support of liberation theology as having "politicized everything" and reproached his proximity to

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

. In 1985, the

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is a department of the Roman Curia in charge of the religious discipline of the Catholic Church. The Dicastery is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of t ...

, directed at that time by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

), silenced him for a year for his book ''Church: Charism and Power''. He later accused Ratzinger of "religious terrorism". Boff was almost silenced again in 1992 by

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, this time to prevent him from participating in the Eco-92

Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio de Janeiro Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92, Cúpula da Terra), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, which finally led him to leave the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

religious order and the priestly ministry. Boff joined the international group of Catholic Scholars who in 2012 issued the Jubilee Declaration on reform of authority in the Catholic Church. For most of his life Boff has worked as a professor in the academic fields of

ethics Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...

, and

throughout Brazil and also as lecturer in many universities abroad such as

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

University of Barcelona The University of Barcelona (official name in ; UB), formerly also known as Central University of Barcelona (), is a public research university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450. With 76,000 students, ...

University of Lund Lund University () is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially founded in 1666 on the ...

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

, University of Torino and others. Boff commented on the election of

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

in March 2013: "I am encouraged by this choice, viewing it as a pledge for a church of

simplicity Simplicity is the state or quality of being wikt:simple, simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or Complexity, complex ...

and of

ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...

ideals." He said the new pope was conservative in many respects but had liberal views on some subjects as well.

Works

* ''The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation'', together with Mark Hathaway. 2009, Orbis Books. * ''Evangelio del Cristo cósmico''. 2009. * ''El águila y la gallina. Una metáfora de la condición humana''. Cuarta edición 2006. * ''Ecología: grito de la Tierra, grito de los pobres''. Cuarta edición 2006. * ''Femenino y masculino. Una nueva conciencia para el encuentro de las diferencias''. 2004. * ''La voz del arco iris''. 2003. * ''El cuidado esencial. Ética de lo humano, compasión por la Tierra''. 2002. * Fundamentalismo. La globalización y el futuro de la humanidad. 2003. * ''Mística y espiritualidad'', junto a Frei Betto. Tercera edición 2002. * ''Ética planetaria desde el Gran Sur''. 2001. * ''Gracia y experiencia humana''. 2001. * ''El despertar del águila''. 2000. * ''La dignidad de la Tierra. Ecología, mundialización, espiritualidad''. 2000. * ''La opción-Tierra: la solución para la tierra no cae del cielo''. 2008. * ''Ecclesiogenesis: The Base Communities Reinvent the Church''. 1986. * ''Church: Charism and Power''. 1985. * ''Los sacramentos de la vida''. 1977.

References

External links

Right Livelihood Award
(in Portuguese) {{DEFAULTSORT:Boff, Leonardo 1938 births Living people 20th-century Brazilian male writers 20th-century Brazilian non-fiction writers 20th-century Brazilian Roman Catholic priests 21st-century Brazilian male writers 21st-century Brazilian non-fiction writers 21st-century Roman Catholics Academic staff of the Rio de Janeiro State University Brazilian anti-poverty advocates Brazilian Christian socialists Brazilian Friars Minor Brazilian male non-fiction writers Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian people of Venetian descent Brazilian Roman Catholic writers Brazilian socialists Catholic philosophers Catholic socialists Catholicism and far-left politics Christian radicals Christian socialist theologians Dissident Roman Catholic theologians Former members of Catholic religious institutes Laicized Roman Catholic priests Liberation theologians Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni People from Concórdia, Santa Catarina