Ernesto Cardenal, a Nicaraguan priest, poet, and theologian, died last year at the age of 95. Although perhaps many of you haven’t heard of him, he is a man well worth remembering, so I am commending him to your attention.
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| Ernesto Cardenal in 2009 |
Introducing Cardenal
Ellin Jimmerson is one
of my Facebook friends. Among other things, Ellin self-identifies as an
ordained Baptist minister, a liberation theologian, and an immigrant advocate (see
here). She also is highly
appreciative of Cardenal, who, she says, had an “immeasurable impact” on her
theology.
On March 2 last year, the day after Cardenal’s death, Ellin wrote this succinct explanation of who he was:
Ernesto Cardenal of Nicaragua was a Roman Catholic priest, one of the most widely read poets in the Spanish language, . . . a supporter of the Sandinistas, Minister of Culture during the early years of the Sandinista Revolutionary government, and critic of Daniel Ortega in the years during which Ortega became increasingly authoritarian.
In 1965, Cardenal
established a parish on the archipelago of Solentiname in Lake Nicaragua. The
Gospel in Solentiname was published in four Spanish-language volumes
between 1975 and 1977, all of which were translated into English (and issued in
one volume in 2010).
Evaluating Cardenal
The Gospel in Solentiname contains radical readings
of the gospels, stating that the God of the Bible is a God that sides with the
poor, because God is love, and love can only exist in accordance with equality
and justice.
Such was the basic belief of Cardenal and the majority of
his parishioners, most of whom were “unlearned,” who agreed with their priest.
But he was not so highly evaluated by the Catholic hierarchy.
Cardenal’s liberation theology placed him in staunch
opposition to the dictatorial rule of Anastasio Somoza, the Nicaraguan dictator
who was officially the President of that country for ten years between 1967 and
1979. The group that led the opposition was the Sandinistas.
According to Howard Zinn, the Sandinistas were “a coalition
of Marxists, left-wing priests, and assorted nationalists” who “set about to
give more land to the peasants and to spread education and health care among
the poor” (A People’s History of the United States, p. 585).
The best known of those “left-wing” priests was Cardenal,
and after the successful revolution by the Sandinistas in 1979, he became the
Minister of Culture in the new government.
He was chastised by Pope John Paul II when the latter visited Nicaragua in 1983. “Probably the most famous image” of Cardenal, writes Robert Ellsberg in 2020, is the one below showing the Pope wagging his finger at the priest and telling him to withdraw from his revolutionary government post.
The Sandinista government, which included Cardenal, was also
not liked by the U.S. government, which had supported the Somoza dictatorship.
In 1985, following the 1984 elections in which Daniel Ortega
was elected with two-thirds of the popular vote, Pres. Reagan declared an
embargo on Nicaragua and that was followed by the “Iran-Contra affair,” illegal
action by the Reagan administration in support of counterrevolutionary activity
there.
Admiring Cardenal
In addition to my FB
friend Ellin, there are many who continue to have great admiration for Cardenal.
I decided to write this article on Cardenal after reading Matthew Fox’s
“daily meditation” for July 18 (see here). Fox began by sharing how Cardenal emphasized how we are all
enveloped by cosmic love and beauty, and he cites these words of the Nicaraguan
priest:
God surrounds us on all sides like the air. And like the atmosphere he emits visible and audible waves, and we are unable to see and hear them unless we are tuning in on the proper channels.
Fox also cites words
of a poem by German liberation theologian Dorothee Sölle (1929~2003): “Ernesto
Cardenal, / questioned on how he came to be a poet, a priest, / and a
revolutionary, gave as his first reason / love of beauty.”
Yes, Ernesto Cardenal, who sought to liberate poor people
from oppression and poverty and to liberate all of us from that which keeps us
from seeing God, and beauty, is a person worth remembering with admiration and appreciation.
Great blog today, Leroy! Thanks. I wrote a column once that argued that “there ain’t no place where God ain’t.” I like the addition of the concept of “tuning in to the proper channels.” It’s too bad that so many Christian traditions have claimed that they and only they not only have but also control the proper channels.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Anton. You articulate it differently, but I think your point is one that Richard Rohr makes well in his book "The Universal Christ" (2019), although I don't think he cites Cardenal.
DeleteThe first comment about this post that I received this morning was from Thinking Friend Bob Hanson in Wisconsin: "Cardenal is one of my heroes."
ReplyDeleteThen there was this important email from Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky:
ReplyDelete"Leroy, you could add here that Cardenal was for a time a novice under Merton at Gethsemani. He was among many whom Merton influenced, especially with reference to poetry. See "The Hidden Ground of Love," p. 401; "The School of Charity," p. 103; "The Road to Joy," pp. 228, 233."
Thanks for this, Dr. Hinson. I was aware of Cardenal's being as Gethsemani, but did not include that important information in order to keep my article under 700 words. But I am delighted to post your comments here for other readers to see.
DeleteThanks Leroy for introducing me to someone who supports the Poor and spreads GOD,s Love.
ReplyDeleteRespectfully,
John(Tim)Carr
And here are comments from local Thinking Friend Ken Grenz:
ReplyDelete"Thanks for posting. I have Cardenal’s 'Gospel in Solentiname' series. Ernesto’s brother Fernando was was also prominent in the early Sandinista movement, serving as Minister of Education in its early years. Unfortunately the Sandinista party’s most prominent figure, Daniel Ortega turned into a egotistical authoritarian.
"I traveled to Nicaragua with Witnesses for Peace in about 1986."
Thanks, Ken, for your comments. I have known some about Ernesto's younger brother Fernando (b. 1934) and took note when he died in 2016. He didn't begin his government post until 1984, whereas Ernesto was a part of the government cabinet from its beginning in 1979--and he resigned in 1987 because of his perceived problem with Pres. Ortega's changed stance. But Fernando stayed on until 1990, which perhaps was too long. One of the things I appreciated about the older Fr. Cardenal was how he began criticizing Ortega when he saw how the president was turning into an "egotistical authoritarian."
DeleteI was impressed that you went to Nicaragua with Witnesses for Peace.
Yesterday I also received an email from local Thinking Friend Linda Schroeder that included attachments with images of the cover and the introductory page of "The Gospel in Art by the Peasants of Solentiname." (You can see the delightful painting on the book's cover by entering the book's name on Google and then clicking "image.")
ReplyDeleteLinda wrote, "Another treasure to enhance your appreciation of Ernesto Cardenal. He was a shining star enlightening our involvement as a Sanctuary congregation during the Salvadoran and Nicaraguan civil wars in the 1980’s. I hope you can access a copy. If not, I’ll lend you ours sometime. Thanks for introducing him to your Friends."
Thanks, Linda, for introducing me to a book I did not know about. It doesn't seem to be in any of the local libraries, but I have asked for a copy to borrow from WorldCat.
DeleteAnyone who is both a poet and a theologian can't be all bad!
ReplyDeleteLiberation Theology is a thing of beauty, but revolutionaries do tend to have big egos.
ReplyDelete