Ernesto Cardenal

Ernesto Cardenal: (1925–2020), was one of the great poetic voices of his generation. He was a Catholic priest, a poet, and a revolutionary. He joined the Sandinistas in their struggle against Somoza and, following its victory in 1979, became his country’s first Minister of Culture. He promoted poetry workshops through which hundreds of men and women learned to write. Because of his political involvement, Pope John Paul II prohibited him from administering the sacraments in 1984. Pope Francis rescinded the prohibition in 2019 shortly before the poet’s death. Cardenal’s conversational voice continues to influence poets throughout the world.