MARC BATKO'S SITE

What follows is an exceptionally insightful article by Ernesto Cardenal.  This article originally published in: Christ und Sozialist (CuS) 3/98 is translated from the German on the World Wide Web.

The Revolution Today and Tomorrow

by

Ernesto Cardenal

When I speak about revolution, I must speak especially about the revolution in Nicaragua. Because I am still a priest (even if a priest punished by the Vatican) in addition to a revolutionary, I will also speak about liberation theology. The term "revolution theology" may be better than the term "liberation theology". Then the question about the meaning of "liberation theology" would not be asked so often since everyone knows what a revolution is, both its advocates and its adversaries. No one needs to ask what is a revolution theology. No one needs to question why the pope is against this theology since we all know that the pope is against every single revolution.

The pope was wrong when he told journalists on a flight with Alitalia to his second visit to Nicaragua that no danger comes from liberation theology any more because communism in Europe no longer exists. Bishop Casaldaliga from Brazil declared that as long as there are poor, there will be liberation theology.

Did the fall of the Berlin wall result in the disappearance of the poor?

Or does the pope believe in the "end of history" which would also mean the end of salvation history?

Liberation theology had marxist influences and in several points is a marxist theology. However this theology did not fall into a crisis on account of the failure of command socialism. On one hand, so-called command socialism was a perversion of marxism. In Christianity, there were also perversions of the gospel which were more monstrous than any perversion of the doctrine of Marx: cruel crimes (crusades and the inquisition) and scandalous moral depravity (the Renaissance popes).

Nevertheless I remain a Christian. I also remain a marxist. I believe in socialism.

On the other hand, the capitalist press in the whole world proclaimed the defeat of socialism. The failure of capitalism which is much greater is concealed. Capitalism was only a success for 20% or 10% of humanity. For the Third world, for the majority who now constitute the poor countries and for the poor in the rich countries, capitalism is a catastrophe. The breakdown of capitalism preceded the breakdown of socialism. The following differentiation can be made.

False socialism broke down, not the realization of genuine socialism. However the capitalism that breaks down is the genuine capitalism, not the false capitalism.

Socialism fell apart because it was not realized. Capitalism broke down because it was realized. Two weeks ago Newsweek magazine admitted that global capitalism destabilizes poor countries and inflicts great losses on the rich countries. The socialism that died out was certainly not bad in every regard. It recorded many successes in the areas of justice, social security and basics and many who drifted off already have regrets. Time magazine said about the new capitalism in the former Soviet Union: `"It is a sad fact that Moscow not unlike the wealthy capitals in the West will probably be condemned to shelter a high percentage in unpropertied, homeless and unemployed as a painful price for the fruits of free enterprise."

We also may not forget that socialism did not die a natural death but as the same Time magazine revealed on another occasion, the downfall of this regime was the child of a "holy alliance" of Reagan and the pope. The Vatican went to bed with the CIA, as the catholic north american newspaper National Catholic Reporter described.

This "holy alliance" was also directed against Nicaragua. Her two main enemies were Reagan and the pope. Our two enemies fancied themselves winners in our election defeat. However the debacle in the East had nothing to do with our election defeat in Nicaragua.

The East was not our model.

In truth, there was a perestroika with the revolution in Nicaragua several years before Gorbatchev brought this word to the public. In Nicaragua, there are some who say half in jest and half seriously that he copied the perestroika from Nicaragua. In truth, the sandinista revolution from the beginning espoused a multi-party system, a mixed economy (socialism and private enterprise), democracy and absolute respect for human rights, freedom of the press and free elections.

When the sandinista revolution arose in the people, liberation theology also arose in Nicaragua. Thus the sandinism which was a marxist revolution was also a Christian revolution, a revolution of marxists and Christians or of Christian marxists as in my case and the many activists who were neither marxists nor Christians but simply revolutionaries. Father Teilhard de Chardin predicted that Christians and marxists would meet one day at the critical stage, at the climax of Christianity and the climax of socialism. This meeting took place in Nicaragua. What was said by Graham Green at a 1988 Moscow meeting of writers from the whole world occurred:

"In central America, the contradiction between Christianity and marxism is buried."

The South American bishops complained to the pope that sandinista Nicaragua was transforming itself into a mecca of all liberation theologians. They were completely right. One of these theologians, Jose Maria Vigil, said that Nicaragua was a symbol and that the symbolic value included the cause of the poor and the cause of Jesus. Arturo Paoli said about Nicaragua:I have seem for the first time that the simple people don't feel fear or hatred in the face of a military uniform.

To Leonardo Boff, Nicaragua was the only country where he had seen joy in life.

Despite everything, the revolution in Nicaragua broke down. First came the election defeat. This was due to the intervention of the government of the United States (war and economic blockade) without denying our errors and sins in exercising power which were not deciding factors.

What came afterwards was worse. That defeat demoralized and corrupted the majority of the leaders. In some cases, they defrauded the country of millions of dollars. The sandinista party ceased to be revolutionary. Therefore many like myself turned away. Today probably 80% of the sandinistas are outside the party. Today the majority of the youth in Nicaragua are apathetic, apolitical and disappointed without faith in any party or any political leader, without anything other than private interests: their economic prosperity or their pleasures.

The state of the youth of Nicaragua is the state of the youth of all Latin America and in large part of youth of the whole world. Everywhere the left and popular movements undergo a crisis. In nearly all countries of Latin America, the right-wing has won in popular elections. The people have elected governments whose politics is directed against the people. In some cases, the people have even reelected them. In Bolivia, a dictator overthrown years ago has now regained power because the people voted for him.

Why?

Because the people can be manipulated and usually are manipulated.

Recall how many tyrants and despots gained power because the eople elected them. Elections are not a guarantee for the triumph of truth and justice.

We have a case in the Bible in which God lost an election: when he wanted to remain Israel's king which he was since the liberation from Egypt and the people decided for another king.

The young are either indifferent to all social and political change like most peoples or are against this change. Revolutions, revolutionary movements and revolutionary conditions are in crisis. Is there a way out?

Many ask whether there is a way out

Some say there is none. I firmly believe there is a way out. I do not believe that we must start on a scientific foundation from the notion that human evolution will culminate in a society of wolves. Wolves do not relate among themselves like wolves. Otherwise they would have long died out. To believe that egoism will ultimately be victorious also is without any scientific foundation.

Egoism has only dominated human society during the last 10,000 years since there was private property. Ever since life has existed on this planet, cooperation not competition has advanced evolution.

Where is the Way Out?

The way out is liberation theology. The way out must lie in  faith.

However there are different kinds of faith. There are some forms of faith which are harmful and even destructive like those leading to collective suicide. There is a purely spiritual faith which is incapable of changing the world.The only way is faith in the revolution which is identical with faith in Gods kingdom or Gods reign. In the lifetime of Christ, the term kingdom has the same subversive meaning as the word revolution in our age.

This faith in the theology and mysticism of revolution can give hope. With this faith, we can speak again of socialism. Socialism exists because we are Gods children, brothers and sisters. God created us as socialists.  Humanity was socialist until private property came into fashion. Therefore Leonardo Boff is completely right when he says: Socialist ideals are rooted in the deepest layers of this `political animal'; which is the person. Dangerous utopias are nourished from these ideals.

Today many do not dare speak of marxism, communism or socialism. However Christians can be found among the left who have not become discouraged by the debacle in the Soviet union and eastern Europe. The last who came to marxism have preserved their steadfast trust in it.

In Managua, a Spaniard visited me and told me that until recently he had been in the communist party, was confused and despairing and wanted to know what I believed and hoped. He wanted some kind of orientation. I have seen this confusion everywhere but not among Christian marxists, revolutionaries and liberation- or revolution theologians.

I believe there is no alternative to socialism for Christians. I believe the 21st century belongs to a new marxism and a renewed Christianity, a Christian marxism.

Christianity has always preached conversion. Still the conversion of hearts is not enough since injustice exists in society and in hearts. The system must be converted together with hearts because as Mao said, the class enemy is also in the interior of every individual.

Is it utopian to believe that egoism will disappear? That would be like believing the gospel is a utopia. A marxist atheist Spaniard said that he didn't understand why Christians did not believe human egoism would disappear since they believed in something much harder to believe, namely in the resurrection of the flesh.

The time came when Christians and marxists met at a climax or critical stage as Chardin said. When he speaks of the 'mysticism of the morning', he alludes to this climax. We came late to marxism but we came to stay. In other words, we simply returned to our roots. Did not Engels show that contempt of worldly pleasures and self-chastisement of the flesh in early Christianity were protests against the rich?

Father Cardonel recognized our origins when he declared after his return from China:; "I saw what could have come out of our Christendom if it had taken Christ's teachings seriously."

We come from communism. Our holy sources, the church fathers, were communist. Saint Gregory of Niceae said that at the beginning, mine and yours, these fateful words, were foreign.  Saint Basilius proclaimed: "A perfect society is one that excludes all private property."  "All things on earth should be for common use," said Clemente Romano. Saint Ambrosius of Mailand: "Our Lord intended this earth to be the shared possession of all people." Chrysostom insisted: The community of property conforms more to human nature than private property.

These were not only words but also the life praxis of the first Christian communities which according to Engels inspired modern revolutionary movements.

In Nicaragua, the sandinista revolution lost the election. Like Jesus, we always are exposed to defeat. We must struggle like Jesus without the assurance of immediate victory but with the certainty of a final victory even if we don't know when. Earlier in the struggle of marxists, an historical optimism or a scientific certainty of the immediate victory of the people was cultivated. Those who supported themselves on this conviction alone could end their revolutionary struggle after the defeat, not those who fought because it was for a just cause, the cause of love which is independent of victory or defeat.

The theologian Giulio Girardi said: "God knows that HE can suffer a defeat with his people and that this actually happened many times." Another liberation theologian, Jose Maria Vigil, declared: "We are the slain soldiers of an invincible cause."

A worldwide crisis of the left persists.

Nevertheless signs of hope appear everywhere. In these times like never before, evolution produces persons everywhere who desire a change, men and women who embody nothing but the evolution advancing forwards and pressing more and more into consciousness.