A new constitution was born under the Somoza regime in 1950; it was a negotiation between previous anticlerical measures and traditional church privileges.

It was not until the late 1970s that the Church began to divide its loyalties away from the Somozas; it was at this time that they started to recognize the repression and human rights abuses that were not concurrent with the Bible.

The Church could no longer support this government, but they were still in favor of the state's ideologies of hierarchies and capitalist systems; this caused a divide within the clergy.

The Church was united in its opposition toward the corruption of the Somoza dynasty, but the clergy's opinions about the Sandinistas diverged once they took power.

Daniel Ortega once favored abortion rights but changed his stance in the 1990s after improving his ties with the Catholic Church.

Enrique Bolanos signed a new ban on all abortions, including cases where the pregnancy threatens the woman's life, in the presence of Catholic bishops and Protestant evangelist leaders.