Glossary: liberation theology
DEFINITION:
An activist movement led by Roman Catholic clergy who trace their inspiration to Vatican Council II (1965), when some church procedures were liberalized, and the Latin American Bishops’ Conference in Medellín, Colombia (1968), which endorsed greater direct efforts to improve the lot of the poor. Advocates of liberation theology--sometimes referred to as ""liberationists""--work mainly through Ecclesiastical Base Communities (q.v.).