The Florida Catholic • Aug. 8, 1986 Perspective 13 Sisters return from Nicaragua with warning message for U.S. Soviets in Nicaragua, "people don't want them. . . . By Dave Finnerty The people say the Soviets are living the good life." The Florida Catholic "We should help create a new Nicaragua," said Sister Kendrick. Instead of pumping money into a war, she said, the U.S. could use that money to help APOPKA — The U.S. should "get out" of rebuild Nicaragua. Nicaragua's affairs and stop funding contra forces, Sisters Ann Kendrick and Teresa McElwee say. "We should try to win their respect," she said. Sister McElwee, director of the Justice and "We can win them over as friends." Peace Office in Winter Park, charged the Reagan administration with "not wanting Nicaragua to suc- Now, she said, the U.S. is "toying" with the peo- ceed" under President Daniel Ortega. ple there. The U.S. had supported the governing Somoza "John Deere tractors are sitting on the sides of family (father and two sons) roads needing parts," Sister for 45 years before Mr. Kendrick said. She thinks the Ortega became president U.S. should replace those Charles Liteky renounces . (NC photo after the Sandinistas over- parts so the tractors can be from UPI) threw the Somoza govern- used to help feed Nicaragua's ment in 1979. starving people. Vietnam veteran Sisters Kendrick and The sisters also think the McElwee visited Nicaragua should be July 3-13 with 14 other Sisters "taking a strong stand for the of Notre Dame de Namur. people." gives up medal Nuns of their order work in "The Church needs to exer- Nicaragua. cise a more pastoral role to The Nicaraguan people do the people," said Sister Ken-

in protest move not want America to interfere Sister Kendrick Sister McElwee drick. "It needs to be commit- in their country, the nuns said. ted to the people." By Joe Michael Feist "The war there is not a figment of the imagina- Sister McElwee said Catholics in Nicaragua are National Catholic News Service tion," said Sister Kendrick, of the Orlando diocesan very strong in their faith, but the Church there is Office of Farmworker Ministry here. not meeting their needs of support. "The Church needs to stand with the poor," she WASHINGTON — A former Catholic priest who "I saw young people — 14, 15 years old — with said. "Side-by-side." in 1968 was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor machine guns," said Sister McElwee. "That's who Sister McElwee thinks it is ironic that while under fire in Vietnam has renounced the medal to was protecting the towns." celebrating the Fourth of July in America and say- protest U.S. policies in Central America. On July 3, the first day they were in the country, ing "Give us your tired and your poor," Charles Liteky, formerly of Jacksonville, contra forces used U.S. mines to blow up a civilian U.S.-supplied bombs were being used to destroy a said it was "ironic" that "conscience calls me to re- bus, the nuns said. Half the people on the bus were bus in Nicaragua. nounce the congressional Medal of Honor for the women and children. "I was ashamed to be an American citizen same basic reason I received it — trying to save Sister McElwee said that though there are there," she said. lives." In Central America "the art of diplomacy has given way to the artless use of brute force," said Mr. Liteky, believed to be the only recipient of the Church oppression by Sandinistas nation's highest military honor to relinquish it. Mr. Liteky, 55, was an Army in Vietnam in 1967 when his company, participating in a search worsening, Bishop O'Malley reports and destroy operation in Bien Hoa province, came under attack. During the battle, Mr. Liteky clergymen's "unresolved" situation, said the repeatedly braved intense fire in order to reach and National Catholic News Service bishops' public affairs chief, Russell Shaw. pull to safety about 20 wounded soldiers. Mr. Liteky Speaking July 28 at Riverside Church in New himself was slightly wounded in the battle. York, Mr. Ortega said Bishop Vega was exiled not "U.S. involvement in Central America is Viet- WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops' conference for opposing the government, but for acting outside nam all over again," Mr. Liteky said. "Our ad- turned down a meeting with Nicaraguan President the law in "an outright campaign on behalf of those visers are there, our weapons are there, our Daniel Ortega during Mr. Ortega's late July visit to who are killing our people." logistical support is there, our money may soon be the United Nations, citing recent Nicaraguan Bishop Vega has denied Sandinista allegations there in super abundance. And waiting in the wings government actions against Catholic clergy. that he supports the Reagan administration's back- for a cue from the president are U.S. combat Meanwhile, Bishop Sean O'Malley of St. Thomas ing for anti-Sandinista rebels, the so-called troops." in the Virgin Islands said the Nicaraguan govern- "contras." Following a press conference, Mr. Liteky went to ment's oppression of the Catholic Church is worsen- "The Nicaraguan situation is deteriorating very the black granite Vietnam Veterans Memorial and ing quickly and there is little prospect for rapidly," Bishop O'Malley said in a six-page report improvement. placed an envelope containing the medal against on a visit he made to Nicaragua and other Central the base of the monument. Also, Mr. Ortega and a bishop he exiled differed American nations in mid-July. Ordained in 1960 for the Missionary Servants of on the reasons for that move. the Most Holy Trinity order, Mr. Liteky served in A spokesman for the U.S. bishops noted the San- In his report, Bishop O'Malley said: the military from 1966 to 1971 and was a chaplain in dinistas' recent exiling of the vice president of the • Mother Teresa was denied entrance into Vietnam for two and a half years. Nicaraguan bishops' conference, Bishop Pablo An- Nicaragua after her recent visit to Cuba. Mr. Liteky said he asked for a dispensation from tonio Vega of the Juigalpa Prelature, and Msgr. • The Sandinista government will not allow any his vows in 1974 and was laicized in 1975. He mar- Bismarck Carballo, director of communications for priests or religious into the country unless they ried in 1983. the Managua archdiocese, influenced their decision come to work for the government. He currently serves as coordinator of the Na- not to meet with Mr. Ortega. • Several Nicaraguan Capuchins who were sent tional Federation of Veterans for Peace in "The decision not to meet with President Ortega to Honduras for their novitiate were not Washington. was based on the conference's concern" over the readmitted. BROTHER JUNIPER Blasphemous movie a bizarre rumor

Q. Through one of our Protestant churches letters from organizations and individuals we learn that a company is making a urging legal action against the reported mo- blasphemous movie on the sex life of Jesus. tion picture about the sex life of Jesus. What can be done about this? Why do we not The rumor persists in spite of efforts even hear about these things in our own Church? by many church organizations to declare it false. A. Possibly the main How did the rumor start in the first place? reason you have not Question An investigation by National Catholic News heard about it in your Service traced the story to a late-1970s report own Church is that, con- box that a Danish film director wanted to produce trary to numerous a film on this subject but scrapped his plan. Father rumors such as the one John Dietzen A Chicago gossip magazine reported his you heard, the story is project. People confused the magazine with not true. the producer and began demands for legal The story surfaced eight or 10 years ago in action. Illinois and has since traveled around the As with so many bizarre rumors, there is, as world several times. nearly as I can determine, no factual basis to In one year alone, the Illinois attorney this one at all. general's office received more than 180,000 Copyright 1986 NC News Service