It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Father Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino, who passed away on Tuesday 22 October in Lima, Peru.
Father Gutiérrez, who was Simón Bolívar Professor at CLAS in 1989/1990, was one of the key figures in the development of liberation theology in the 1960s and 1970s thanks to his pioneering work, A Theology of Liberation:History, Politics and Salvation, published in 1971.
Before becoming a priest, Gustavo Gutiérrez had studied medicine and literature in Peru, philosophy and psychology in Belgium and theology in France. In the 20th century, he was an influential theological figure with a great impact in academic circles and a considerable effect on the socio-economic conditions in Latin America.
Gutiérrez spent most of his life in academic institutions, such as the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, with several visiting professorships in Europe and North America.
We offer our deepest condolences to his family.
Photo: Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez. (Credit: University of Notre Dame, via Crux.)