Poet’s Tale Skips Some Dark Chapters

Re “The Soul of a Lost Cause,” Column One, April 26: Ernesto Cardenal, the 80-year-old foolish, Marxist, Nicaraguan poetaster-priest rails today against quondam Sandinista dictator Daniel Ortega, now running for president again in his democratizing country, for having been corrupted and housing himself and his cronies in the mansions of the ousted Somoza thugocrats.

But he conveniently overlooks the fact that the reward of his showpiece easy life was part of the country’s takeover by the Soviet Union of that era, which posted police and intelligence agents visibly in the airport in Managua, and invisibly throughout the government offices, security and military.

Jascha Kessler

Professor of English &

Modern Literature, UCLA

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Liberation theology has not fallen from favor among the religious people of Latin America. To refer to liberation theology as “Marxist Catholicism” is quite incorrect. Christian communities preceded Marxism by 19 centuries and gave us a lifestyle of sharing and cooperation. Unfortunately, imperial Christianity, which developed in the 4th century, united the church to militarism and oppression. Liberation theology is the antithesis of imperial Christianity.

We created small Christian communities to observe, judge and act on real issues in Latin America. Thus democracy, conscience and critical thinking became part of a vibrant spirituality. Liberation theology is the key to a future of religious and spiritual integrity.

Blase Bonpane

Director

Office of the Americas, L.A.