What is Liberation Theology? To understand the evolution of Liberation Theology, one really needs to know the context in which Liberation Theology arose. As we all know, nothing transpires in a vacuum. Certainly the second Vatican Council's (Vatican II), held between 1962–1965, while it was not the beginning of Liberation Theology, came about from a reality where the ‘poor’ were not given preference, or deference, or even recognized as human beings of equal worth with those of means – the oligarchy and the rich. Vatican II took place as the great imbalance of power and wealth in the Southern Hemisphere was beginning to be felt and acknowledged. There were cracks and shifts in society, resulting in revolutions in Mexico (1911); Bolivia and Guatemala (1952); Cuba (1959) and in Santo Domingo, where the people resisted a United States’ invasion (1965).

Liberation Theology grew and developed in this context of terror and repression. People had nothing tangible to cling to, and so they turned to a God of compassion and strength to help them live through the darkness and desperation of their time. They also supported new leadership in opposition to the dictators who had oppressed them for so long. Chile elected Salvador Allende, a Marxist, as President. He was supported by the people, including Priests for Socialism, a group within the Catholic church. Allende was overthrown in a coup, in 1973, that was sponsored by the United States through the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).