LIBERATION theology came under papal attack this week as Pope John Paul II issued a strong warning to Catholics in Latin American nations against following Marxism to the letter.
Religious in impoverished regions in the continent had served the poor well, the Pope said, caring for the weakest members of society. But some had been persuaded by an "ideology" that took for granted Marxist interpretations of what it meant to suffer and "had politicised religious life".
Pope John Paul's remarks were contained in a letter to members of religious orders preparing for celebrations of the 500th anniversary of christianity in America. The event will be marked by festivities in the Dominican Republic in 1992.
The Pope also said that those who adopted the Marxist approach to religion fell easy prey to political parties "which have nothing to do with the mission of the church".