How healthy is Liberation Theology in Brazil?

An interesting article on Christianity Today's LiveBlog by David Neff titled, "Brazil's Base Communities, Are they declining or defiantly holding their own?"

How many “base communities” are there in Brazil? And how healthy is the liberation theology that spawned them?

The New York Times run-up story to Pope Benedict’s visit to Brazil wants you to believe that reports of liberation theology’s demise are greatly exaggerated. Despite official attempts to suppress this Marxist version of politicized Catholicism, says the Times, there are 80,000 active base communities in Brazil’s vast territory.
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At least half of active Catholics in Brazil have gravitated toward the charismatic movement. “The Catholic response to the Pentecostal challenge is to imitate it.”