Former Panama strongman finds strength in God The evangelist who led Gen. Manuel Noriega to God in his prison cell in 1990 says the notorious former Panamanian dictator, whose requests for parole have repeatedly been denied, remains strong in his faith in Jesus Christ and his hope for the future.
...Rudy Hernandez, who led Noriega in a prayer of confession and commitment to God, told Religion Today that Noriega is a genuinely changed man whose jailhouse profession of faith has stood the test of time.
..."We are the closest of friends and he calls me his brother in Christ," said Hernandez, a Southern Baptist, who has maintained contact with Noriega as his international preaching schedule allows through telephone calls, letters, and visits. Hernandez also sends him poetry.
...Noriega's name was synonymous with corruption and misuse of power in the 1980s. Born in Panama City in 1934, he took command of Panama's National Guard in 1983 during a period of national turmoil and entrenched himself in power as the head of the Central American nation, refusing to return the government to civilian control.
... He at first cooperated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to stop airborne drug cartel shipments, leading to the arrest of traffickers and the seizure of tons of drugs. Later Noriega fell from grace with the United States when he masterminded an international cocaine smuggling ring called "the enterprise," news reports said. From 1982 to 1984, he colluded with various cartels to make Panama the trans-shipment point for cocaine, news reports said.
...Twenty-four thousand American troops invaded Panama in 1989 to capture Noriega after he had been indicted by a U.S. grand jury in Florida. He was brought to Florida for trial and was found guilty in 1992 of eight counts of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering, the first time a U.S. jury had convicted a foreign head of state of criminal charges.
...Noriega was sentenced to 40 years and has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a federal penitentiary south of Miami. He is segregated from other inmates for his own safety.
...Hernandez met Noriega through evangelist Clift Brannon, who initiated a correspondence with the former general in prison. Noriega read passages from a New Testament that Brannon sent him, and after months of correspondence a meeting with Brannon was arranged. Hernandez, a friend of Brannon, went along as an interpreter and assistant.
...The men met in prison on May 15, 1990, when Noriega made a profession of faith in Christ at 11 a.m. under Hernandez's leading, he said. Hernandez recalls Noriega acknowledging he was a sinner with illusions of grandeur. He said his heart had been hardened but that he was yielding his heart to God, Hernandez said. As the prayer finished and the men opened their eyes, there was a "big smile on his face," Hernandez said.
...Noriega is not the same man who entered prison, he "is born again," Hernandez said. He now is gracious, kind, and "has a smile on his face, even when handcuffed," according to testimonials from prison guards, he said.
...Noriega's wife and two of his three daughters have become Christians in the last several years. When the wedding for his daughter Sandra was being planned, Hernandez arranged for Noriega to be present at the ceremony -- by telephone. When the minister at University Baptist Church in Coral Springs, Fla., asked who would give the bride away, Noriega's voice boomed through a speaker. He delivered a "three-minute sermonette" describing the purposes and blessings for Christian marriage, Hernandez said.
...Noriega's release from custody seems improbable, but he "is hoping to be able to get back to Panama," where he is despised by some but still popular among others, Hernandez said.
..."If he is released, look out," Hernandez said. "I told him we will go back with him [to Panama], gather people on the square, and have the largest audience ever to preach about Jesus Christ. He will help us win more people in one day than all of our lifetimes."
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