Today, 04:55 AM
Leo XIV Attributes a Quote from Liberation Theology to St Augustine
gloria.tv | October 9, 2025
In his first Apostolic Exhortation 'Dilexi Te', Leo XIV writes the dubious line:
“For Augustine, the poor are not just people to be helped, but the sacramental presence of the Lord.”
There is no footnote to substantiate the quote of an alleged "sacramental presence".
Augustine spoke about a real encounter with Christ in the poor, but he did not refer to this presence as sacramental.
Applying the term 'sacrament' to social issues was popularised by liberation theologians such as Gustavo Gutiérrez, Leonardo Boff and the Jesuit Jon Sobrino ("Los pobres son sacramento de Cristo").
A similar theological simplification was made by another Jesuit, Jorge Bergoglio: "To touch a poor person, to care for a poor person, is in the Church a sacrament." (Francis, 13 November 2024).
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre