Nicaraguan to Lead Panel With Papal OK

MANAGUA, Nicaragua, MARCH 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- With the Pope's encouragement, Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo will lead the council seeking reconciliation following Nicaragua's civil war which plagued the country during most of the 1980s.

Cardinal Obando, retired archbishop of Managua, accepted the presidency of the Council of Reconciliation and Peace, which is in charge of reviewing compliance with the peace agreements signed following the war.

During a press conference Wednesday at the headquarters of the Catholic University, Cardinal Obando revealed that he met recently with Benedict XVI to tell him about this post and the Pope asked him "to work for the reconciliation of the Nicaraguan family."

The cardinal said that the Holy Father "wants me to work for reconciliation -- that's the idea, that we pursue reconciliation."

The former archbishop of Managua, who was accompanied by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, said that the post is not "partisan or governmental."

"It's not a partisan job, but a job for the nation, especially for those who have suffered the consequences of the various conflicts," clarified the 81-year-old cardinal.

Cardinal Obando added that he is in conversation with the bishops of the Nicaraguan episcopal conference so that they will also collaborate in this endeavor.

Ortega said that he had been in touch with Archbishop Leopoldo Brenes Solórzano of Managua, who told him that the bishops' conference will address the subject next week.