a062  0525  11 Aug 87
PM-Brazil-Theology,0413
Liberation Theologians Praise Soviet ''Glasnost''
    RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - The Rev. Leonardo Boff, who was
punished by the Vatican for defending liberation theology, said it is
easier to be an ''authentic'' Christian in the Soviet Union than in a
capitalist country.
    He made the comment Monday at his first news conference since
returning from a 15-day visit to the Soviet Union in June. The group
he traveled with included his brother, the Rev. Clodovis Boff, and
three other Brazilian theologians.
    Boff and his traveling companions told reporters they were impressed
by Soviet socialism and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's new policy
of selected openness on certain issues, known as ''glasnost.'' The
speakers said glasnost also meant openness in religion.
    Boff said he had expected to find greater religious repression in
the Soviet Union than in capitalistic countries.
    Instead, he said, he found that ''socialism provides better
conditions for a Christian to be authentic'' because ''Soviet society
is not based upon exploitation, individualism or obsession to
consume, but upon work and a fair distribution of benefits.''
    ''The Soviet government looks after the social side of religion but
spiritual questions are left to the individual,'' Boff said. ''The
Catholic churches are always full and lists of people are waiting to
enter seminaries.''
    Many Soviet Christians and Jews have reported facing persecution for
practicing their religion.
    Boff said the Soviet government was ''well aware of the problems and
contradictions of Soviet Marxism'' and was attempting through
glasnost to ''recover spirituality.''
    Liberation theology encourages Roman Catholics to apply their
religious beliefs to social issues to promote a better life for the
poor and oppressed. Liberation theology, which has a strong following
in Latin America, has been linked in its more radical forms to
Marxism.
    Pope John Paul II has said certain forms of the theology are
unacceptable to the church. In May 1985, the Vatican ordered Boff to
observe nearly a year of ''obedient silence'' for defending
liberation theology and criticizing the church in his 1981 book
''Church: Charisma and Power.''
    Boff has said Monday that he fears new punishment from Rome for his
most recent book, ''Trinity, Society and Liberation,'' but said he
had treated the themes of community and liberation ''carefully'' in
the new writings.
    ''From the amount of time it is taking the Vatican to analyze the
book, I am hoping they have found nothing out of order,'' Boff said.
    
 
AP-NY-08-11-87 0814EDT
***************