Pope Francis lifts suspension on Nicaraguan priest, poet 0 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy the Associated PressMANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Pope Francis has lifted the suspension imposed in 1983 on Nicaraguan priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal, the Vatican’s ambassador to Nicaragua said in a statement Monday. Pope John Paul II suspended Cardenal from his priestly duties because he had become culture minister in the leftist Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega after the rebels toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza. “The priest accepted the canonical punishment that was imposed on him and followed it without performing any pastoral activity. The same suspension was imposed on Cardenal’s brother Fernando, who served as the Sandinista education minister and Miguel D’Escoto who was that government’s foreign minister.

Source: Manila Bulletin February 18, 2019 23:58 UTC