The Vatican’s long–awaited report on “Liberation Theology” will make many clap for joy. Others will hide in shame and, very likely, attempt to modify their views.

It’s not easy for members of the church hierarchy openly to oppose the clear statements of the Pope. An editorial page of The Wall Street Journal reflects most of the printed media. It says, “The publication of this document means that communist politicians and guerrillas will now have to come up with a new gimmick to sell themselves to civilized world society.”

Politicians and guerrillas, yes. But what of priests and religious organizations, and even unsuspecting believers?

In the Country

For many decades, Marxists in Latin America have successfully employed a very refined political theory. It is called the “useful idiot” policy. It means that everything and anything can be used to climb the ladders of power: If patriotism fires the imagination of the masses, then patriotism must be emphasized. If some politician is useful for reaching the objectives of the party, he will be allured into serving the cause.

This theory of the “useful idiot” is still very much in force. It has been part of the development designated as “liberation theology.” The Gospel speaks quite forcefully of love for the poor. It is not strange, therefore, when guerrillas are represented as native movements to correct oppression and eliminate injustice. Christians who have those same objectives easily fall into the trap of “useful idiots.”

But “useful idiots” take other forms. Just before scheduled elections in Nicaragua, many visitors came to the country. Most of these came from places where the Christian message has been a traditional leaven of social consciousness. Visitors go to Nicaragua because they are fascinated by the news from that land. They go to Nicaragua because they have some sort of unexplained sympathy for the government there.

In some cases, these visitors, observers, tourists, and interested travelers become “useful idiots.”

The Marxist government, apparently, is granting instant citizenship to all these sympathetic visitors. As citizens, they will be able to vote in the elections which the rest of the world has demanded Nicaragua have. Opposition newspapers in Managua are very critical of what they call “instant citizenry.”

Out of the Country

An organization named International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity is based in Brussels , Belgium. Thirteen Roman Catholic entities contribute to this or participate in one way or another. They come mostly from the developed nations of Europe. This organization boasts an investment of more than 250 million dollars in about 6,000 projects. It recently distributed a very profuse report about conditions in several countries in Central America. The report made the rounds of many countries and many churches long before the people themselves had an opportunity to examine it and pass judgment on its accuracy.

The ICDS is raising large amounts of money in religious services. That is, they are “utilizing young people and children who innocently run through the streets and visit homes with their ringing kettles.” The reports speak glowingly of liberation movements, people’s churches, and leftist governments.

The tragedy is that more than six months passed before officials in Central America even saw the document for themselves. The archbishop of San Salvador unconditionally stated, “It was totally false.” We see how a highly respected organization in Europe had fallen into the trap of the “useful idiot.”

Documentation has been released in recent months which demonstrates that there are “useful idiots” in places other than Nicaragua. They come from practically all walks of life, denominations, and political allegiances. An effort apparently is being made to promote Nicaragua, to exalt the government there, and to raise levels of sympathy everywhere. Funds are being raised for all types of projects by people working with the government of the country. It is astonishing to see an almost page-by-page repetition of what happened in Cuba after 1958, when Fidel Castro came to power. Traditional denominations in the United States—such as the Church of Christ, some Methodist and Presbyterian bodies—have entered the field of “useful idiots.” The scheme basically works in two ways. One is to have individuals from the United States make “official” visits to Nicaragua. They become the guests of the government and officials. Rather efficiently, they proceed to pick up statistics, visit showplaces, hear about tragedies of the past and promises of the future.

Convinced that “things are far better today than under the previous regime,” these visitors return to their home churches as crusaders for the great cause of revolutionary Marxism. Members of churches who have not been to Nicaragua are easily convinced of their responsibility and their privilege to participate in what is painted as an attempt to Christianize an entire country.

The other route being followed is the formation of organizations in Nicaragua. These organizations have appealing names and purposes. A group may have the lofty goal of bringing down illiteracy—in itself a praiseworthy objective in a place where the majority of people cannot read or write. Funds are requested and raised in U.S. or Canadian churches for such a project.

Privileged Christians in North America feel good that they are helping helpless brothers. The organizations indeed teach literacy. However, they use textbooks or materials which have been designed primarily as Marxist propaganda tools. They condemn such things as churches, a simple faith, and the institutions of a capitalistic society.

Do the thousands of people who contribute to this activity in Nicaragua realize the purpose behind it all? Do they realize that they are being manipulated as “useful idiots”?

To be an idiot for the sake of Christ may be a biblical concept. But in the political area, we at least should have the benefit of knowing exactly what we are doing.

Juan S. Boonstra is minister of Spanish broadcasting of the Back to God Hour, Palos Heights, Fl.

Reprinted by permission from Missionary Monthly