20世紀60年代以前,尼加拉瓜教會被外界視為缺乏領導力、人力資源及牧會動力薄弱,政治上與「人民所討厭政府」結盟。但在短短十餘年內,尼加拉瓜卻竄出大量的解放神學推崇者,並投入反蘇慕薩政權的革命行列,使得尼加拉瓜成為少數因大量的天主教徒投入革命,最終成功推翻獨裁政權的案例之一。這樣的劇變激起筆者對該議題研究的動機。 本文係援引社會運動相關理論分析尼加拉瓜解放神學發展及蘇慕薩(Somoza)家族政權的崩解。透過對相關歷史文獻的蒐集、整理與分析,筆者試圖回答以下問題,包含拉丁美洲及尼加拉瓜解放神學之形成因素、信仰主張及實踐狀況,並探討該國政教關係及造成教會界對「改革」與「革命」路線選擇出現分岐的成因。 在本篇研究中,筆者亦整理蘇慕薩家族各時期之變化,包含政治、社會、經濟、心理、意識形態與信念的改變,進而分析出各時期發生社會運動或革命的可能性,解釋尼加拉瓜解放神學如何得利及受限於各階段之條件環境,最終得出解放神學對推翻蘇慕撒家族獨裁政權之貢獻與限制等若干結論。
Prior to the 60s of 20th century, Nicaraguan Church had been weak in leadership, lack of human resources and ability to carry out evangelic plans, while politically allied with the unpopular Somoza dictatorship. However, in a decade, thousands of Liberation Theology advocators emerged in Nicaragua, who participated in the revolution against the Somoza regime. Their participation made Nicaragua one of the few cases that many Catholics successfully overthrow the dictatorship. The dramatic change raises my desire into the study. This study employs a social movement perspective on the Nicaraguan Liberation Theology and the collapse of the Somoza dictatorship. Through historical documents analysis, I try to answer the following questions: the forming factors, beliefs, and practices of Liberation Theology in Latin America and Nicaragua, and also explore the Nicaraguan state-church relations and the causes of two approaches between “revolution” and “reform”. With reviewing the changes in politics, economics, society, emotions, ideology and faith, I analyze the possibilities for social movement or revolution to develop among different periods and conditions, in order to conclude the contribution and limitation of Liberation Theology within the revolution.