Pope John Paul II 1983 visit to Nicaragua

Pope John Paul II 1983 visit to Nicaragua

In March 1983 Pope John Paul II made a pastoral visit to Nicaragua. The visit took place admist the ongoing contra war. This was a period of extreme polarization between the Nicaraguan Catholic hierarchy and popular sectors of the Nicaraguan Church and heightened tensions between the hierarchy and Sandinista state.

Both the Nicaraguan Catholic Church and the Sandinista government eagerly anticipated the arrival of the Pope. The hierarchy believed that the Pope would give moral legitimacy to their efforts to combat the “godless communism” of the Sandinista government. On the other hand, the government hoped that the Pope would offer support for the peace process by acting as a mediator and by formally voicing his opposition toward American aid to the contras. Consequently, the Sandinistas made a tremendous effort to encourage Nicaraguans to attend the two papal masses that were held in León and Managua. The day of the Pope’s visit was declared a national holiday and citizens were offered free transportation to the masses.

Rather than helping to alleviate the hierarchy-state tensions, the Pope’s visit exacerbated them even further. The Pope stressed the importance of Church unity as the best way to prevent Nicaragua from being corrupted by “godless communism”. He spoke out against the growing division within the Church between the “popular church” and the institutional hierarchical Church. He also advocated the authority of the Bishops, and the importance of religious education. The Pope affirmed the Vatican’s support for the conservative Archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo and spoke out against the five Nicaraguan priests who held government positions.

The Pope’s visit convinced the vast majority of Nicaraguan people that the Vatican was not in tune with their problem. For instance, the day before the Pope’s visit to Managua a funeral service was held to commemorate the lives of seventeen Sandinista supporters who were killed by the contras in the same plaza where the Pope’s mass took place. The Pope completely ignored the incident and did not offer any words of condolence for the mothers of the fallen men. [http://ssdc.ucsd.edu/news/notisur/h96/notisur.19960216.html]

The Pope’s visit was a significant event in the revolutionary struggle of the Nicaraguan nation. It deepened tensions between the Sandinistas and the many Nicaraguan Catholics who supported the Sandinistas. The controversial visit was also used by the contras as a form of propaganda to give their organization moral legitimacy.

References

ee also

* The Catholic Church and the Nicaraguan Revolution


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