The auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Monsignor Silvio Báez, invited —quoting the words of the biblical prophet Isaiah— to peaceful coexistence among people. Although he did not mention names of countries, his preaching pointed in a special way against the suffering of the people of Nicaragua, but also that of Ukraine.
Exiled since April 2019the voice of Monsignor Báez is heard loudly every Sunday from the parish of Santa Agatha, in Miami, Florida, with homilies that invite us to live his religiosity in an intense way, without forgetting that the Nicaragua is a crucified people, which will have to “resurrect”.
This time, based on biblical teachings, the pastor recalls that “a world of brothers is possible” and that “we can build a peaceful and just coexistence despite the fact that we are different”, to insist shortly after that “a coexistence is possible where we don’t hurt each other.”
In a situation in which more than 220 Nicaraguans are detained in the prisons of the dictatorship for thinking for themselves without following slogans; by opinion based on their own analysis and their free willMonsignor Báez recalls that “being different, thinking differently, seeing things differently, is not a crime”.
“Rather, being different is a richness that opens possibilities and horizons that go beyond the narrowness of individualism and the narrow pursuit of personal interests. Isaiah’s vision assures us that it is possible to understand each other without falling into the uniformity that annuls and subjugates and that we can walk together without elbowing or tripping each other”.
Don’t worry, there is hope.
In a message that is equally valid for the many diasporas that exist on the continent —the Cuban, the Venezuelan, the Nicaraguan— the priest acknowledges that “there is a lot of pain, a lot of failure, a lot of lack of humanity.”
“We are discouraged, sometimes sadness dominates us, fatigue bends us and our weaknesses take away our joy. There are unjust social structures that oppress people and bloody dictatorships that steal the future of the people. Let’s not get discouraged, that pessimism does not paralyze us and that the feeling of impotence does not make us fall into defeatism. Let’s cheer up, let’s walk together. There is hope,” she cried.
The Nicaraguan Catholic Church is subjected to continuous verbal attacks, the imprisonment of its priests, the kidnapping or expulsion of its bishops, and the prohibition of their manifestations of public religiosity for several years, but with special intensity after the April 2018 Rebellionwhen he sided with the people who demanded freedom, justice and democracy.
By turning his attention to conventional wars that spread the slaughter of brothers and the dripping of innocent blood in the world (Ukraine’s is only the most visible, but not the only one), Báez paraphrased the prophet Isaiah when he said that “missiles They can be turned into schools to educate, war tanks into food for malnourished children, combat planes into dignified hospitals for the poorest”.
And then, in a message that has more to do with the Nicaraguan reality, he said that “the police who repress they can become good people who defend the dignity of the people; the iniquitous judges, who pass spurious sentencesthey can become defenders of the law and human rights; the oppressors they can become brothers, and the violent can become builders of peace”.
Hence, he repeated the invitation not to live “asleep in indifference or dominated by pessimism. The future may seem dark, the tasks ahead of us are immense, but the Lord is with us to show us the way, to encourage us in difficult moments, to transform us into builders of peace and to preserve us from all evil.
“Let us not fall into pessimism or let our hearts harden…. Let’s not let the desire to care for others with urgency and affection go out in us. Let’s not get tired of fighting for a more humane and just society, ”he reiterated.
