Abstract
This article analyses first the social context of the Roman Catholic Church in Nicaragua, which held a central position in the civilian society that existed prior to the Sandinist revolution of 1979. This is expressed by the concept of social space, defined for the religious institution by three considerations: the fact of existing as an institution; the possibility of giving a meaning that goes beyond a purely individual salvation and a participation in the collective organization of the civil society (schools, health institutions, development projects). In Nicaragua, the Church had a monopoly of meaning for the popular masses and exercised a major role in the institutions of the civil society. With the Sandinist revolution, which did not develop an antireligious policy, the Church lost a great deal of its traditional social space. The state played a major role in all those fields, which the ecclesiastical institution interpreted as aggression, when the "Church of the Poor" saw in this situation new opportunitiesforevangelization. The visit of the pope in 1983 came as an element of consolidation of the first position and strong condemnation of the second. However, it can be assessed as a failure, because the Church continued to lose its traditional social space and became more divided than ever. The pontifical visit became the symbol of unityfor a divided opposition, representing the interests of theformer ruling social classes; and a critical attitude towards the pope's visit prevailed among the popular classes.