That, some say, differs from the direct, class-oriented political activism embraced by liberation theology. As cardinal, Ratzinger once called the movement a "fusing of the Bible's view of history with Marxist dialectics," and other critics complain of what they see as its emphasis on direct collective action in Jesus' name over individual faith.

As John Paul II put it early in his papacy: "This conception of Christ as a political figure, a revolutionary, as the subversive of Nazareth, does not tally with the church's catechism."

Certainly at the upper levels of the church hierarchy, liberation theology has been forced into retreat. Bishops and cardinals who supported and protected the movement in the 1970s and 1980s have either died or retired, succeeded by clerics openly hostile to such communities and the values they espouse.

"Base communities can only thrive in areas where there are bishops to encourage them," said Margaret Hebblethwaite, a British religious writer whose books include "Base Communities: An Introduction" and "The Next Pope." "If you take away the support of the bishop, it becomes very difficult for them to get anywhere."

But the movement remains especially active in the poorest areas like the Amazon, the hinterlands of northeast Brazil and on the outskirts of large urban centers such as this one, the largest in Brazil, with nearly 20 million people in the metropolitan area. Hoping to draw less attention and opprobrium to themselves, some of these groups simply say they are engaged in a "social pastorate."

Sparring between liberation theologians and Pope Benedict — whose own theology was formed in reaction to the reach of Nazi ideology — has been long and bitter. In 1984, as the Vatican official charged with supervising questions of faith and doctrine, he declared that "the theology of liberation is a singular heresy."

More recently, he said, "it seems to me we need not theology of liberation, but theology of martyrdom" and argued that the movement will become a valid theology "only when it refuses to accept power and worldly logic" and instead emphasizes "inner liberty." But that was when his job was to carry out John Paul's orders, and there is speculation here that his views may have softened somewhat.

That helps explain some of the theological maneuvering that has been going on in Latin America recently.