Gustavo Gutiérrez exhibit explores 50 years of liberation theology

On Tuesday, the Harvard Divinity School (HDS) will welcome members of the School and wider University community to a special event and reception celebrating the HDS Library’s new exhibit, “In Memory of Gustavo Gutiérrez: 50 Years of Liberation Theology.”  

The exhibit, curated by Professor Raúl Zegarra in collaboration with the library, honors the work and legacy of Gustavo Gutiérrez, the influential theologian known as the father of liberation theology. The timing of the opening is especially meaningful, coming just a few days after the first anniversary of Gutiérrez’s death.  

The event will begin at 5:45 p.m. with remarks by Zegarra and HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick, who will introduce attendees to the exhibit. Zegarra, a former student and close friend of the late Gutiérrez, described the process of creating the exhibit, which included combing through the HDS archives. This process revealed the “significant presence of liberation theology at HDS,” Zegarra said.  

HDS’s early attention to liberation theology, Zegarra said, began as the movement was just emerging in Latin America in the early 1970s. The presence of liberation theology at the Divinity School in its early days stands as a testament to the importance of Gutiérrez’s work on a global scale.  

From photographs of Gutiérrez’s early life and documents highlighting his role in Vatican II, to a first-edition copy of his groundbreaking 1971 book “Teología de liberación” and recordings of his lectures at HDS, the exhibit brings together materials that tell a powerful story of his lifelong commitment to liberation.