Copyright 2023 Christianity Daily. Quarterly: $30 every 3 months Nicaragua Nunca Ms and CSW, a British-based organization that advocates for religious freedom around the world, have gathered testimonies from dozens of people who have described harassment, threats, physical violence and arbitrary detention targeted at a range of religious workers. The report cites the harassment and intimidation of Catholic worshippers by the Nicaraguan National Police; death threats against members of the clergy; accusations against priests and bishops for national security crimes; attacks by the police and violent mobs of pro-government supporters on religious institutions. What we are witnessing is an impressive setback for Nicaragua, Iiguez said. The church since 2018 has been close to the people denouncing the repression and raising its voice for justice, she said. Study on the Christian Letters of the New Testament. Nicaragua Silences Its Last Outspoken Critics: Catholic Priests A wave of government attacks on church leaders has extinguished the last independent voice in the Central American nation.. Have a news tip? In the last five years, the Catholic Church in Nicaragua has gone through more than 190 attacks and desecrations, including a fire in the Managua Cathedral,the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity, theimprisonment of Bishop Rolando lvarez, the exile and stripping of the citizenship of more than 222 former political prisoners, priests, bishops, and seminarians included, and the banning of traditional public processions of the Way of the Cross in all parishes in the country during Lent and Easter. The official government newspaper La Gaceta reported . The students would then be transferred to other national universities, and all university property will now be handled by the state. ", The bishop, however, rejected the government's ultimatum of "exile or jail." Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. The demonstrations began in the city of Len and spread throughout the country. (File) 34. Also Read:Pope Francis Speaks Out for Imprisoned Bishop in Nicaragua: A Cry for Justice and Freedom. | Photo credit: San Judas Tadeo Mga Parish, No, Pope Francis didnt really hint that the requirement for priestly celibacy will be lifted, German bishops announce plans to bless same-sex unions, allow laypeople to baptize and preach at Mass, Signs of hope and renewal amid the dramatic decline of the Catholic Church in Ireland, The image of the Virgin Mary that wept tears of blood on St. Patricks Day, Cardinals Mller, Burke rebuke German bishops over same-sex union blessings. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. The truth is that in years before President Ortega assumed power, these frontal attacks against the religious institution were not carried out, she points out. 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On national television last month, Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is Ortega's wife, touted her love for and faith in God during celebrations of the 43rd anniversary of the Sandinista revolution. The Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa was under a two-week-long siege by the Nicaraguan police in August 2022. The Managua Cathedral, a landmark in the capital city, held a mass under heavy police presence on Saturday, Aug. 13 after authorities had prohibited a procession in honor of the Virgin of Ftima. The leftist regime of President Daniel Ortega continued its persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua with several acts of repression over the weekend. Jagger repeated reports that the bishop said of the over 200 people being transported out of Nicaragua,"[L]et them go free;I will pay their sentences.". Even though both the UN and most Western governments have accused Ortegas regime of illegally attempting to crush any and all opposition in Nicaragua, the closing of these universities was published in the countrys official gazette La Gaceta.As it happened with the unions, these universities had their legal status canceled for alleged contraventions of the law, not handing over to the National Council of Universities of Nicaragua (CNU) their financial reports. ", Sheexplainshow on Feb. 9, Ortega and his vice president Rosario Murillo (Ortega's wife) expelled over 200 opposition leaders from Nicaragua to the United States. After that date, hostilities increased and the tone is getting worse," the document notes. Bishop Rolando Jos lvarez Lagos of Matagalpa has charged that the police of President Daniel Ortegas government harassed him by following him all day and into the night, and announced he will fast indefinitely on water and whey until the harassment ends. In a press release published Aug. 5, the Nicaraguan national police accused high-ranking authorities of the Catholic Church in Matagalpa and in particular lvarez of using the communications media and social media to try to organize violent groups, inciting them to carry out acts of hatred against the population, creating an atmosphere of anxiety and disorder, disturbing the peace and harmony of the community.. Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a vocal critic of Ortega, was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in Nicaragua last month on charges that included treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news. All information on students, professors, and study plans was ordered to be handed to the National Council of Universities. Freedom of speech has deteriorated in the country as oppression intensifies. More recent surveys suggest the percentage of Catholics in this nation could . [1/5]A bishop sprinkles water on the catholic parishioners at the Metropolitan Cathedral, as a suspension of diplomatic ties between Nicaragua and the Vatican has been proposed according to a Nicaragua's foreign ministry statement, in Managua, Nicaragua March 12, 2023. They have used the name of God because they know theyve fallen before a Christian population, he said. The Church helped the protestors by sheltering them in its buildings and in May 2018 tried to act as a mediator between the regime and the opposition. Bishop Accountability's list included 13 U.S. bishops, all of whose names had been reported previously, who have been accused of committing abuse or of mishandling allegations brought to them . You also The repression of independent voices and institutions in Nicaragua continues, with the Ortega-Murillo regime taking particular aim at the Catholic Church. That has put the priests and bishops in Ortega-Murillos sights.. ", Catholic leaders who gave protesters shelter in their churches were brandedas "terrorists" and "devils in cassocks." Jos Antonio Canales, who explained that Bp. Hundreds more werearrested, and an estimated 50 thousand fled into exile. Expelled Local media said 18 nuns from the Missionaries of Charity were driven to the border in a bus escorted. The crackdown on the 2018 protests by police and government-affiliated paramilitaries left 355 people dead, more than 2,000 injured and 1,600 detained at various times, according to human rights organizations. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. In Nicaragua we have a bishop in prison, a very serious and capable man, who wanted to give his testimony and did not accept exile, Francis said, referring to lvarez. The Catholic News Agency (CNA) Staff are a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Yearly: $120 a year, To pay in advance without a subscription, click here Telemundo's Dunia Elvir has more on. The month before, he expelled two congregations of nuns includingthe Missionaries of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa. A democratic state must respect and tolerate any religious beliefs and investigate attacks like the ones perpetrated against the Catholic Church. Meanwhile, since Aug. 4, the regime has not allowed the bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando lvarez, to leave the chancery, with police officers stationed at the door and around the premises. Bishop Rolando lvarez was part of a mediating team from the Episcopal Conference. The government's actions are the latest in a yearslong effort to stanch any critics or government opposition, including the arrest of opposition candidates before the country's elections last year. The president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, has ordered the closing of the Vatican embassy in Managua and the Nicaraguan embassy to the Holy See in Rome, according to Reuters.. Entrust your prayer intentions to our network of monasteries. There are multiple accounts of masked men breaking into churches, theft or destruction of religious objects, and the prohibition of religious processions. In her appeal, she thanks and quotes the Spanish bishops who implored the Nicaraguan government "to listen to the voice of the people they serve, make their decisions in a spirit of service for the good of all and release prisoners incarcerated for political reasons. The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights, or Cenidh, later created the hashtag #QueCeseLaRepresinContraLaIglesia (Strop the repression against the Church) to raise awareness of the increasing tensions with the government. The mass on Saturday . Telemundos Dunia Elvir has more on the rising tensions between the countrys government and the Catholic Church. ET. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega speaks next to first lady and Vice President Rosario Murillo during the inauguration ceremony of a highway overpass in Managua on March 21, 2019. At the same time, Nicaraguas repression of the Catholic Church has intensified. By clicking the "Continue" button, you agree to the ChurchMilitant.com Terms of Use and ChurchMilitant.com Privacy Policy. The latest target is radio stations. In a recent interview with an Argentine publication Infobae, Francis said the ban on priests having . The church since 2018 has been close to the people denouncing the repression," a Nicaraguan legal scholar said, putting them in Ortega's and Vice President Rosario Murillo's "sights.". They told me that they obey orders, he said, I now start an indefinite water and serum fasting. He demanded that his familys privacy be respected. Religion has long been part of Ortegas discourse. At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. While Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega makes much of his own relationship with Christianity, the former leftist revolutionary's government has precipitated an unprecedented crackdown on the country's Catholic leadership. The official government newspaper La Gaceta reported on March 7 (the same day universities were shut down) that the Ministry of the Interior canceled the legal status of Caritas Jinotega and Caritas Nicaragua the same juridical move that led to the expulsion of the Missionaries of Charity last year. When asked for comments, the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, which is the church's top entity in the country, said it was not able to provide any interviews at the moment. Entrust your prayer intentions to our network of monasteries. Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reachmore than 20 million unique users per month! Catholic leaders sheltered protesters in their churches, and the church later tried to mediate between the regime and the opposition. Relations between the church and the Nicaraguan government have been deteriorating since 2018, when authorities violently repressed antigovernment protests. The United States continues to call on the Ortega-Murillo regime to respect the human rights of Nicaraguans, including their rights to freedom of expression and religion or belief. Catholicism, however, has lost ground in the country; with evangelicals accounting for about a third of the population in 2020, according to Statista. I wanted to go to the cathedral to ordain a Mass but the higher authorities did not allow it, he said on a video shared on social media. billing. We stand with Nicaraguans in opposing these desperate attempts to silence an entire nation. Jagger said: "I appeal to the international community to condemn the OrtegaMurillo regime's cruel, illegal and unjust sentencing of the bishop and to do everything in their power to obtain his release. In less than four years, the Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been the target of 190 attacks and desecrations, including a fire in the Managua Cathedral, as well as police harassment and persecution of bishops and priests under the regime of Daniel Ortega, the countrys president, a new investigative report shows. The statement did not mention comments made by Pope Francis in a recent interview where he called the Nicaraguan president "unbalanced." Pope Francis has remained mostly silent on the issue. Like the Good Shepherd, he refused to leave the country or abandon his flock to the OrtegaMurillo regime. According to Martn Iiguez, a professor at the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City who has done extensive research on religion in Central America, religion played an important role in Ortegas rise to power during the Sandinista revolution, creating a divide inside the Nicaraguan church between those who believed in revolution through the use of armed conflict, and those who didnt. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. .css-tadcwa:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Daniel Esparza - @media screen and (max-width: 767px){.css-1xovt06 .date-separator{display:none;}.css-1xovt06 .date-updated{display:block;width:100%;}}published on 03/14/23. At the time, the Holy See expressed its surprise and pain at the measure. A man watches the mass of Bishop Rolando Jos Alvarez via Facebook in Managua, Nicaragua, on Aug. 11. including the arrest of opposition candidates, has been condemned by the Organization of American States, or OAS. Vatican sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because there has not been any official announcement, said Sunday evening there was a request, from Nicaragua, to close each sides diplomatic missions. MEXICO CITY -- Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando lvarez, an outspoken critic of Nicaragua's government, was sentenced to 26 years in prison and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship Friday, the latest move by President Daniel Ortega against the Catholic church and his opponents. Pope Francis had remained largely silent on the issue, apparently not wanting to inflame tensions, but in a March 10 interview with Argentine media outlet Infobae he called Ortegas government a rude dictatorship led by an unbalanced president. Mondays, October 17 to June 23, 2023 - 7:45 to 9. A brief procession of the Virgin of Fatima in the atrium of the Cathedral of Managua, Nicaragua, was held on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, to close a Marian congress. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. Despite efforts to silence one of Nicaraguas most venerated institutions, Moreno said, the country's faithful are persisting. USAID Administrator Samantha Power tweeted, Not the kind of history any leader should wish to make: Ortega has forced 1,000 non-governmental groups to close this year. The government of Nicaragua has made efforts in making moves against the church that are believed to be "Terrorists.". The silencing of dissenting voices in Nicaraguadirectly targets the Catholic Church yet again. ____, Pope Francis waves to faithful at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, March 8, 2023. The bishop of Tyler, TX talks to Terry Barber. 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