In this Master's dissertation, I would like to explore a symbolic reading of John 11 (The raising of Lazarus) from the perspective of the church's mission to bring about the liberation of the poor. I believe that as one does so, one might discover that in the Gospel writer's original intention, the figure of Lazarus may never have been intended as a literal historical person, but rather as a symbolic representation of the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed. Such a reading of John 11 might throw new light on the Fourth Gospel's understanding of Jesus and his mission. In doing so, I believe that John 11 might become a foundational text to guide and motivate committed Christian mission in favour of the poor. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M. Th. (Missiology)

The author strongly holds- in the thesis- that the Theology of liberation can inspi re the poor of South Africa to uproot the post-1994 socio-economic and political evil structures which continue unabated to impoverish them. The introductory chapter studies the reasons which motivated the author to write the thesis. It further discusses the method, the format and the limitations of the thesis. Chapter one focuses on the author's understanding of the Theology of liberation, and its historical background. Chapter two discusses the relationship between the Theology of Liberation and black theology, while chapter three contemplates on the possibility of the creation of what the author calls, An African Theology of Liberation. Chapter four studies the relationship between the Theology of liberation and the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church as taught by the pope and his council. The study of this relationship is extremely difficult because of the on-going, and seemingly insurmountable ideological differences between the two parties. The author suggests, as a solutio n, that each party seriously considers and recognizes the contextual limitations of its theology. Chapter five focuses on the implementation of the Theology of Liberat ion into the South African situation. The author highly recommends the inclusion of the veneration of the ancestors of Africa, as a perfect instrument by means of which the Theology of Liberation can succeed in achieving one of its major aims, which is to convert the poor to be leaders of their own liberation. The concluding chapter suggests concrete ways through which the Theology of Liberation can be kept alive and relevant within the South African situation. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Theological Ethics)

La lutte contre la pauvreté est une difficulté grandissante en raison notamment de son caractère multidimensionnel, et du fait qu’elle intègre la prise en compte d’autres aspects tels que la lutte contre les inégalités. En suivant le cheminement de l’enseignement social de l’Église tel qu’il s’exprime dans les textes pontificaux, de Léon XIII à Jean-Paul II, nous nous posons la question de savoir en quoi cet enseignement social peut nous éclairer et nous stimuler aujourd’hui, compte tenu de ses qualités et de ses défauts, de ses apports et de ses limites. Mais la pauvreté est aussi un thème de la science économique : tout en s’appuyant essentiellement sur la théologie, cette thèse s’inspire donc aussi de ce domaine. Il n’est en effet pas question pour nous d’opposer science économique et enseignement social de l’Église, mais au contraire de faire entendre la voix de l’Église comme système de réflexion. Nous montrerons dans un premier temps, que, à la croisée de la philosophie, de l’économie et de la politique, l’éthique ouvre la voie à la conscience humaine, à la liberté et à la sérénité, mais qu’elle ne peut être dissociée de l’action, sans laquelle elle ne peut porter ses fruits. Puis il s’agit pour nous d’évaluer le niveau éthique des politiques économiques et sociales, notamment en Europe occidentale avant de détailler l’apport de l’enseignement social et de sa réflexion théologique dans la lutte contre la pauvreté. / The fight against poverty is a growing problem in particular because of its multidimensional nature and the fact that it integrates the consideration other aspects such as the fight against inequality. By following the path of the social teaching of the Church as expressed in the pontifical texts, from Leo XIII to John Paul II, we ask ourselves the question of how this social teaching can inform us and stimulate us today, considering its qualities and defects, its contributions and limitations. But poverty is also a theme of economics: while relying primarily on theology, this thesis is inspired also in the field. There is indeed no question for us to oppose economics and social teaching of the Church, but rather to make the voice of the Church as reflection system. We will show in the first place, that, at the crossroads of philosophy, economics and politics, ethics opens the way to human consciousness, freedom and serenity, but it can not be separated from the action, without which it can not bear fruit. Then it is for us to assess the ethical level of economic and social policies, particularly in Western Europe before detailing the contribution of the social teaching and its theological reflection in the fight against poverty.

This dissertation is a study of the role of Gustavo Gutiérrez as a public pastor in the 1980s and 1990s in Peru. His collaboration with the Lima newspaper La República from the early 1980s gave him a figurative pulpit from which he addressed the Peruvian public on specific occasions. The fundamental question in the dissertation is: How did Gutiérrez respond as pastor to the Peruvian public and how did he express his pastoral concern? The study analyses materials that has not been object for previous studies, such as theological essays and articles in newspapers and periodicals. With inspiration from discourse analysis four discourses have been identified in Gutiérrez’ texts.  These discourses interact and through this interaction Gutiérrez formulates his pastoral message. For the socio-political analysis two political discourses are used, the radical and the liberal. The radical political discourse deals with justice for the poor and liberation from oppression as a condition for peace and harmony in society, which are in focus for the liberal political discourse. With the Catholic theological discourse Gutiérrez sets the socio-political analysis in relation to Catholic doctrine and through the pastoral theological discourse he gives reason for hope and inspiration to action. As an advocate for a theology of life, Gutiérrez urges those who read and listen to him to break the pattern of death and opt for this theology of life. In his role as pastor, Gutiérrez speaks words of comfort and encouragement but also words of admonition and warning to those in power who have the capacity to transform society.