1928 – 2024
Gustavo Gutiérrez is a Peruvian Dominican priest and theologian widely regarded as the founder of liberation theology. His 1971 work A Theology of Liberation reframed Christian theology around the preferential option for the poor and structural analyses of injustice.
Founded liberation theology as a systematic movement
Authored A Theology of Liberation (1971), a foundational text of the movement
Articulated the 'preferential option for the poor' as a theological principle
Integrated social-scientific analysis with Catholic theology
Received the Principe de Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities (2003)