Sir, – Paddy Agnew’s take on John Paul II’s view of liberation theology (“John Paul II: tainted saint?”, April 12th) substantially misrepresented the late pope’s position on this question.
According to Mr Agnew, John Paul regarded liberation theology “as a falsified Christianity that put more emphasis on Marx than on Christ”. This comment has the advantage of a certain simplicity, but it hardly stands up against John Paul’s own remark, made to the Brazilian bishops in 1986: “We are convinced, we and you, that liberation theology is not only timely, but useful and necessary.”
It is true that John Paul occasionally sought to correct aspects of liberation theology, but he did not espouse the simplistic and repressive views attributed to him in Mr Agnew’s article. Yours, etc,
REV CHRIS HAYDEN,
Parochial House,
Coolfancy,
Tinahely,
Co Wicklow