Editing Pope John Paul II (section)

== South American and Caribbean dictatorships ==
According to [[Joaquín Navarro-Valls]], John Paul II's press secretary:

<blockquote>"The single fact of John Paul II's election in 1978 changed everything. In Poland, everything began. Not in East Germany or Czechoslovakia. Then the whole thing spread. Why in 1980 did they lead the way in Gdansk? Why did they decide, now or never? Only because there was a Polish pope. He was in Chile and Pinochet was out. He was in Haiti and [[Jean-Claude Duvalier|Duvalier]] was out. He was in the Philippines and [[Ferdinand Marcos|Marcos]] was out. On many of those occasions, people would come here to the Vatican thanking the Holy Father for changing things."<ref>Jonathan Kwitny, ''Man of the Century: The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II'', p. 592, Henry Holt and Co. (1997), {{ISBN|978-0-8050-2688-7}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Chile ===
Before John Paul II's pilgrimage to Latin America, during a meeting with reporters, he criticised [[Augusto Pinochet]]'s regime as "dictatorial". In the words of ''[[The New York Times]]'', he used "unusually strong language" to criticise Pinochet and asserted to journalists that the [[Catholic Church in Chile]] must not only pray, but actively fight for the restoration of democracy in Chile.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/01/world/pope-on-latin-trip-attacks-pinochet-regime.html?pagewanted=1 Pope, on Latin Trip, Attacks Pinochet Regime] ''The New York Times'', 1 April 1987</ref>

During his visit to Chile in 1987, John Paul II asked Chile's 31 Catholic bishops to campaign for free elections in the country. According to [[George Weigel]] and Cardinal [[Stanisław Dziwisz]], he encouraged Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and may even have called for his resignation.<ref>{{cite book|author=George Weigel |title=Biografía de Juan Pablo II—Testigo de Esperanza |language=es |trans-title=Biography of John Paul II—Witness to Hope |publisher=Editorial Plaza & Janés |year=2003 |isbn=978-84-01-01304-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/biografadejuanpa00geor |author-link=George Weigel }}; {{cite book|author=Heraldo Muñoz |title=The Dictator's Shadow: Life under Augusto Pinochet |page=[https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 183] |publisher=Basic Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-465-00250-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/dictatorsshadowl00muno_0/page/183 |author-link=Heraldo Muñoz }}</ref> According to Monsignor [[Sławomir Oder]], the [[postulator]] of John Paul II's [[beatification]] cause, John Paul's words to Pinochet had a profound impact on the Chilean dictator. The pope confided to a friend: "I received a letter from Pinochet in which he told me that as a Catholic he had listened to my words, he had accepted them, and he had decided to begin the process to change the leadership of his country."<ref>Slawomir Oder, ''Why He Is a Saint: The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonisation'', p. 107–108, Rizzoli International Publications (2010), {{ISBN|978-0-8478-3631-4}}</ref>

During his visit to Chile, John Paul II supported the [[Vicariate of Solidarity]], the church-led pro-democracy, anti-Pinochet organisation. John Paul II visited the Vicariate of Solidarity's offices, spoke with its workers, and "called upon them to continue their work, emphasizing that the Gospel consistently urges respect for human rights".<ref>Timmerman, Jacobo ''Chile: Death in the South'', p. 114, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1987 {{ISBN|978-0-517-02902-2}}</ref> While in Chile, John Paul II made gestures of public support of Chile's anti-Pinochet democratic opposition. For instance, he hugged and kissed [[Carmen Gloria Quintana]], a young student who had been nearly burned to death by Chilean police and told her that "We must pray for peace and justice in Chile."<ref>[https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/04/04/papal-mass-in-chile-erupts-in-violence/ Papal Mass In Chile Erupts In Violence] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', 4 April 1987</ref> Later, he met with several opposition groups, including those that had been declared illegal by Pinochet's government. The opposition praised John Paul II for denouncing Pinochet as a dictator, for many members of Chile's opposition were persecuted for much milder statements. Bishop [[Carlos Camus]], one of the harshest critics of Pinochet's dictatorship within the Chilean Church, praised John Paul II's stance during the papal visit, saying: "I am quite moved, because our pastor supports us totally. Never again will anyone be able to say that we are interfering in politics when we defend human dignity." He added: "No country the Pope has visited has remained the same after his departure. The Pope's visit is a mission, an extraordinary social catechism, and his stay here will be a watershed in Chilean history."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1987/04/03/world/pinochet-foes-cheered-by-the-pope-s-presence.html?src=pm Pionchet's Foes Cheered by the Pope's Presence] ''The New York Times'', 3 April 1987</ref>

=== Haiti ===
John Paul II visited [[Haiti]] on 9 March 1983, when the country was ruled by [[Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier]]. He bluntly criticised the poverty of the country, directly addressing Baby Doc and his wife, [[Michèle Bennett]] in front of a large crowd of Haitians:

<blockquote>"Yours is a beautiful country, rich in human resources, but Christians cannot be unaware of the injustice, the excessive inequality, the degradation of the quality of life, the misery, the hunger, the fear suffered by the majority of the people."<ref>Riccardo Orizio, ''Talk of the Devil: Encounters with Seven Dictators'', p. 131, Walker & Company (2003), {{ISBN|978-0-8027-1416-9}}</ref></blockquote>

John Paul II spoke in French and occasionally in [[Haitian Creole|Creole]], and in the homily outlined the basic human rights that most Haitians lacked: "the opportunity to eat enough, to be cared for when ill, to find housing, to study, to overcome illiteracy, to find worthwhile and properly paid work; all that provides a truly human life for men and women, for young and old." Following John Paul II's pilgrimage, the Haitian opposition to Duvalier frequently reproduced and quoted the pope's message. Shortly before leaving Haiti, John Paul II called for social change in Haiti by saying: "Lift up your heads, be conscious of your dignity of men created in God's image...."<ref>James Ferguson, ''Papa Doc, Baby Doc: Haiti and the Duvaliers'', p. 75-77, Basil Blackwell (1987), {{ISBN|978-0-631-16579-8}}</ref>

John Paul II's visit inspired massive protests against the Duvalier dictatorship. In response to the visit, 860 Catholic priests and church workers signed a statement committing the church to work on behalf of the poor.<ref>Douglas Bond, Christopher Kruegler, Roger S. Powers, and William B. Vogele, ''Protest, Power, and Change: An Encyclopedia of Nonviolent Action from ACT-UP to Women's Suffrage'', p. 227, Routledge (1997), {{ISBN|978-0-8153-0913-0}}</ref> In 1986, Duvalier was deposed in an uprising.

=== Paraguay ===
The collapse of the dictatorship of General [[Alfredo Stroessner]] of Paraguay was linked, among other things, to John Paul II's visit to the South American country in May 1988.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/19/world/pope-ending-trip-urges-justice-in-paraguay.html|title = Pope, Ending Trip, Urges Justice in Paraguay|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 19 May 1988|last1 = Suro|first1 = Roberto}}</ref> Since Stroessner's taking power through a [[1954 Paraguayan coup d'état|coup d'état in 1954]], Paraguay's bishops increasingly criticised the regime for human rights abuses, rigged elections, and the country's feudal economy. During his private meeting with Stroessner, John Paul II told the dictator:

<blockquote>"Politics has a fundamental ethical dimension because it is first and foremost a service to man. The Church can and must remind men—and in particular those who govern—of their ethical duties for the good of the whole of society. The Church cannot be isolated inside its temples just as men's consciences cannot be isolated from God."<ref name="Willey">[[David Willey (journalist)|David Willey]], ''God's Politician: Pope John Paul II, the Catholic Church, and the New World Order'', p. 227, St. Martin's Press (1992), {{ISBN|978-0-312-08798-2}}</ref></blockquote>

Later, during a Mass, John Paul II criticised the regime for impoverishing the peasants and the unemployed, saying that the government must give people greater access to the land. Although Stroessner tried to prevent him from doing so, John Paul II met opposition leaders in the one-party state.<ref name="Willey" />