Leonardo Boff–a Protestant Catholic

In this essay, Rudolf von Sinner offers a reinterpretation of Liberation theologian Leonardo Boff’s theology. He describes Boff as a “Protestant Catholic.” Boff was Catholic in the sense of being a theologian with a very broad cosmic vision and protestant because he was not afraid to confront ecclesiastical power-bases and dogmatic theologies. Boff sought always to establish his theology in the reality of life, not in ivory towers. Von Sinner highlights four major themes in Boff’s theology: the Church, the Cosmos, the Triune God, and Praise to God—explaining the significance of each, while remaining aware of Boff’s shifts of opinion over time. Von Sinner points out that as Boff moved further away from his Roman Catholic origins, his theology became less religious and more spiritual—concerned with reconciliation and justice for all people. Regardless of the specific Protestant and Catholic aspects of his theology, von Sinner explains that Boff was always Evangelical, in that the Gospel was his principal guide for life’s journey.