A TRIBUTE TO A SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL TITAN
It is with a profound sense of grief and deep reflection that we learn of the passing of Fr. Dr. Pete Henriot, SJ, who left us on Saturday, 12 September 2026, at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Centre in Los Gatos, California, at the age of 90.
Fr. Pete was not just a friend; he was an intellectual anchor, a spiritual hero, and a fearless champion for the poor and marginalised in Zambia. For over two decades as the Director of the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR), he pioneered a radical model of social analysis that insisted faith cannot be divorced from the struggles for economic justice, dignity, and human rights. He taught us that true theology must be lived on the streets, in the villages, and among those crushed by poverty.
Alongside Joe Holland, Fr. Pete, an excellent economist, co-authored the seminal work Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice, providing generations of activists with the intellectual tools to challenge oppressive structural systems.
Through his leadership at JCTR, he created the Basic Needs Basket, transforming abstract economic statistics into undeniable evidence of the lived realities of ordinary Zambian households.
Fr. Pete consistently spoke truth to power, demanding debt cancellation, pro-poor governance, and an economy that serves the human person rather than the markets.
Fr. Pete’s revolutionary spirit, his humility, and his unwavering love for the people of Zambia will remain permanently etched in our hearts and our ongoing struggles for a more just, more fair, and more humane society. He fought the good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith.
May the soul of this spiritual and intellectual giant of social justice rest in eternal and revolutionary peace.
Go Well Servant of the Oppressed!
Fred M’membe