Your Excellencies:
The world watched the Nicaragua Marxist’s idea of how a Pope should conduct Mass — no cross but large murals of Marx, Lenin and other Marxist heroes; to make sure that his message could not be heard, profane the Mass by having the loudspeaker system drive out the Pope’s message with “People Power” shouts; class struggle revolutionary songs to drown out the Catholic hymns — certainly a new definition of sacrilege.
What the world saw was just the tip of the iceberg. Daily the Church there is persecuted along with other non-Marxist institutions. Yet unbelievably this Marxist government is supported by some Catholic religious operating as a “Poor People’s Church”. The “People’s Church” in turn is given all out support by the Government with full access to the media while banning or censoring the traditional Church’s opportunity to communicate with its members. Priests serve in cabinet positions against the orders of the Archbishop and the Pope while non-Sandinist priests are physically assaulted. It was such a Sandinist priest, Father Cardenel, an admitted Marxist, who sees “Cuba as the gospel put into practice”. Clothed in most unclerical garments, he went to meet the Pope. After the Pope after refusing to allow him to kiss his ring, he publicly admonished the Pope, “straighten out your position with the Church”.
The Pope’s message that the Marxist did not want the audience to hear simply stated that the “People’s Church” was “absurd and dangerous” and that Church unity was “threatened by unacceptable ideological commitments and temporal options, including the conception of a Church which replaces the True One”.
The “People’s Church” which the Pope condemned has its supporters here in the United States. To mention two outstanding examples — OUR SUNDAY VISITOR (the largest circulation Catholic newspaper) in its news articles, special feature stories and editorials has consistently been an all out supporter of the “People’s Church” and the Sandinists. The Maryknoll Order, not only in its publications but through its activities in Nicaragua, is almost the godfather of the “People’s Church” and an uncritical supporter of the Sandinists. A Maryknoll priest is the Sandinist Foreign Minister.
Now what is “absurd and dangerous” in Nicaragua has to be likewise the same here. The Pope spoke out at the Front in Latin America. Here on the American Front the Pope must be supported. The position of the American Church must be clear. The OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, the Maryknollers, and other religious who deviate from the Pope’s position and Catholic doctrine must not be condoned.
With the record clear that the Marxist goal for Nicaragua is a totalitarian state, it is hard to understand that just three days after the Pope’s visit, Archbishop James A. Hickey- testifying before two Congressional Committees- called for a resumption of economic aid to Nicaragua. He complained that “consistently hostile public rhetoric” of the United States toward Nicaragua “has not been helpful to the moderate elements of Nicaraguan life”. Almost an echo of Ortega’s welcoming speech to Pope John Paul II.
It is my belief that American Catholics do not desire American money spent on a regime that recognizes a “People’s Church” as its in-house Church, recognizes its own labor union as its in-house labor organization, suppresses freedom of the press, drives the leaders of opposition political parties into exile, allies itself with Cuba and the Soviet Union, arms itself to the teeth and supports the Marxist rebels in El Salvador.
Two steps have to be taken:
1 — American Bishops must make clear to all religious, particularly the OUR SUNDAY VISITOR and the Maryknoll Order that support of the “People’s Church” “is a grave deviation from Catholic principles” (Pope John Paul II) and to be prepared to withdraw all support from those that fail to support the Pope’s position.
2 — The American Catholic Committee will convene a Conference of knowledgeable Catholic scholars from both Latin America and the United States to develop a program for that vital area that would allow it to develop in freedom. We welcome your support in our efforts.
Sincerely,
James J. McFadden, President
American Catholic Committee New York