Ernesto Cardenal—Nicaraguan poet, mystic, revolutionary—died 3/1 at 95. A former Trappist novice under Thomas Merton, he left Gethsemani for reasons of health, was ordained, founded a contemplative community of artisans and peasants in the Nicaraguan archipelago of Solentiname.
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During Mass he recorded conversations about the gospels that were later published as The Gospel in Solentiname. In the context of the Somoza dictatorship, the peasants had no trouble recognizing the political and subversive message of the gospels. Later published @OrbisBooks.
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He saw this service as an expression of his priestly ministry—a form of “efficacious charity” on the social level. But the Pope disagreed. When the 4 priests refused to quit their gov posts they were deprived of priestly faculties.
Mar 3, 2020 · 5:00 PM UTC
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Cardenal later returned to Solentiname. He and his brother eventually broke publicly with the Sandinistas, following the authoritarian turn of President Ortega. In 2019 Pope Francis restored his priestly faculties.
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In a poem on the death of Merton, Cardenal wrote: “Beloved is the time of pruning, / All the kisses will be given that you could not give. / The pomegranates are in bloom. / All love is a rehearsal for death.”
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