Leonardo Boff

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Leonardo Boff is recognised as one of the most outspoken, controversial, and eloquent advocates of Roman-Catholic liberation theology. His controversial writings put him at odds with the Vatican and ultimately led to his resignation from the priesthood. He was born in Concórdia, Santa Catarina, in Brazil on the 14th of December 1938. He received primary and secondary education in Santa Catarina, Paraná, and São Paulo. He studied Philosophy and Theology, and joined the Order of the Franciscan Friars Minor in 1959 and received his doctorate in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Munich, Germany, in 1970. Boff was the professor of Systematic and Ecumenical Theology at the Franciscan Theological Institute in Petrópolis for 22 years. He also served as a professor of Theology and Spirituality at a variety of prestigious universities in not only Brazil, but the rest of the world. In addition to this he was also a visiting professor at Lisbon, Salamanca, Harvard, Basel, and Heidelberg – all predominant universities in diverse countries.
He presently lives in Rio de Janeiro, has a daughter and five sons, and three grandchildren. He is the author of more than sixty books in the areas of Spirituality, Mysticism, Anthropology, Philosophy and Theology. Most of his works have been translated into main and modern languages.

Leonardo Boff lives by the belief and principles of Liberation Theology – a political movement in Roman Catholic theology, which interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in association with liberation from prejudiced political, financial, or social conditions. The Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez, who wrote the book A Theology of Liberation – a book which brought Third World theology to the attention of the rest ...

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...and endurance through moderation, thus living by these virtues.

Leonardo Boff is an important theologian for all Christians, both Protestants and Catholics. His firm persistence on theology and his active support for the rights of the poor and excluded is inspiring. He is both diligent and patient, and demonstrates being fully human to the extent of his ability. I believe that Leonardo Boff can be seen as an icon in regards to not only Catholicism, but also in the beliefs and principles of Liberation Theology.

Works Cited

Leonardo Boff Biography, retrieved 29 Apr 2014

Liberation Theology, retrieved 29 Apr 2014

Robert McAfee Brown, Leonardo Boff: Theologian for All Christians, retrieved 13 May 2013,

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