Religion: Call to Rome

The Vatican questions a priest

When a Roman Catholic theologian is summoned to Rome, he is wise to come prepared with cogent arguments, a respectful mien and, when possible, influential friends. Franciscan Father Leonardo Boff, 45, arrived in the Eternal City from Brazil with all three, but especially with friends. A leading exponent of liberation theology, a movement that often combines Marxist concepts with calls for social justice, Boff was asked by the Vatican to reply to a notification that his teachings were "considered dangerous," particularly in their appeal for a less authoritarian...

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