Option for the poor

The option for the poor, or the preferential option for the poor, is a Catholic social teaching that the Bible gives priority to the well-being of the poor and powerless. The word “option” in this phrase is a transliteration of the Spanish opción, and refers to a choice already made rather than an option that is available. It was first articulated by the proponents of Latin American liberation theology during the latter half of the 20th century, and was championed by many Latin American Christian democratic parties. It is also a theological emphasis in Methodism.