Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo press for the banishment of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Alvarez as the scenario that has the lowest political cost for the regime, five analysts in State-Church relations consulted by CONFIDENTIAL, while an adviser to the Roman curia declared that a Vatican “diplomatic operation” is at stake in which Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, archbishop of Managua and vice president of the Episcopal Conference, participates.
Analysts consider the option of keeping Monsignor Álvarez illegally imprisoned in his home, or worse yet, convicting a religious leader noted for his charisma, prestige and “ecclesial stature” to the El Chipote police prison.
Sociologist Humberto Belli said that an intervention by Pope Francis, asking Álvarez to expatriate as he did in 2019 with the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua Silvio José Báez—another religious critic of the dictatorship—, may not happen due to the criticism he aroused in his moment to the Pontiff his decision and “the Holy Father does not want to repeat the experience, it seems to me, from sources with whom I have spoken that they are quite linked to the Holy See”.
For the former education minister, the current circumstances require the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference to take an energetic position, because “it would be a surrender to the government to agree that the bishop should leave Nicaragua, when what they have to do is claim that they release him It is unfair that he leaves, it is unfair that they throw him in jail. They don’t have to punish him in any way.”
In the early hours of Friday, August 19, special police troops assaulted the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa, where Álvarez, five priests, two seminarians and a cameraman from the diocese’s press team were present.
Read: The prophetic voice of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa
“The government is going to have to consider two alternatives: one to keep him in prison, possibly house in jail for a long time like Cristiana Chamorro and other prisoners are. Or expel him from the country. That would be an action that you have in your hands: you can expel anyone from the country legally or illegally, they have already done it. They would remove (with that) the weight of having a prisoner within the nation with the prestige and ecclesial stature of Bishop Álvarez,” said Belli.
The police, through press release 78-2022alleged that the operation against Álvarez was carried out to recover a supposed “normality” for the citizens and families of Matagalpa, and accused the priest of carrying out “destabilizing and provocative” activities.
On August 5, the authorities opened an “investigation” against Álvarez, accusing him of “organizing violent groups” and “fostering hatred”, locking him up in the Episcopal Curia under a strong police device that disrupted the daily life of the city.
In their statement dated August 19, the Police also said that the people who accompanied the bishop until the early morning operation were transferred to the Directorate of Judicial Assistance, or the police prison known as El Chipote, denounced as a torture center for national and international human rights organizations.
Also: Eight parishes of the Diocese of Matagalpa under the attacks of the Ortega regime
Álvarez’s captors left the parish priest Óscar Escoto, from the Santa María de Guadalupe Church, in the Curia. Confessing the arbitrary detention of Álvarez, the authorities reported that they allowed Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, archbishop of Managua and vice president of the Episcopal Conference, to visit the detained bishop. In a subsequent statement, the Managua chief confirmed the meeting and, among his first impressions, stated that Álvarez was physically deteriorated, but strong in spirit.
What is the “diplomatic operation” of the Vatican?
Rodrigo Guerra López, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Latin America of the Holy See, told Aleteia that the Vatican maintains a “diplomatic operation”, through Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes to find “a way out” of Monsignor Álvarez’s situation.
However, the figure of the Cardinal arouses mistrust. Specialists lament the “lukewarm positions” in the face of the always turbulent national events. Humberto Belli, for example, said that it is possible that Brenes is asking the Pope – even with the blessing of Ortega – to order Monsignor Álvarez to leave the country.
Lawyer Martha Patricia Molina, author of an investigation on heThe regime’s attacks on the Catholic Churchaffirmed that it is possible that the dictatorship had sought out Brenes or vice versa to send a message to Álvarez: the need for him to leave the country of his own free will, which, if given, would be an exile.
Molina also criticized the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua (CEN) that has shown “absence and indifference of responsibility and problems of persecution of the church.” “I wouldn’t know the impact for them (of a possible Alvarez departure). For the church in general it will come at a high cost because he is a prophetic voice,” he lamented.
The CEN, through an evening statement, described as “a deep wound that we suffer as a Church in Nicaragua” and added that “we pray for Bishop Rolando Álvarez and his companions in the Episcopal Curia”.
The fear of “popular discontent”
For sociologist Elvira Cuadra, director of the Center for Transdisciplinary Studies of Central America, the regime is pressuring Álvarez to leave the country, because keeping him detained implies generating more discontent among the population.
Cuadra appreciated that by selecting Brenes, and not Monsignor Herrera, who is the president of the Episcopal Conference, the Vatican is following official channels, because the cardinal is the head of the Archdiocese of Managua and because, in some way, he has managed some communication with the authorities of the dictatorship.
The specialist describes as “underground” the negotiations that may be taking place on the Álvarez crisis, but already foresees a political cost for the CEN, because there has been no firm statement from the bishops.
“For the Government the cost is very high, because the discontent of the people is increasing and the arrangement they make with the bishops does not matter. The people are offended and they are not going to take that away from them,” said Cuadra.
Two other analysts, consulted on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals from the dictatorship, added that Álvarez’s situation is “developing,” but the conclusion is that nothing he has done is in the interest of Ortega, from the point of view of political.
Of all the possible scenarios, these two interviewees envision Álvarez being sentenced to El Chipote prison as least likely, because in that case he would draw attention both nationally and internationally. For this reason, they believe that the dictatorship is inclined towards the option of exile.
The bishop becomes “a symbol”
One of the interviewees said that, although a prophetic and critical voice within Nicaragua would be lost if his exit were to materialize, the figure of the “symbol of a brave, consistent, and determined man” was won.
“I have no doubt that the diplomatic operation via Brenes is to ‘save Álvarez’s life’ and will be aimed at getting him out of the country, which is one of the regime’s objectives. I think of the other priests. With them, what will be the ‘diplomatic operation’? If it is to get them all out, it is a victory for the regime. There will be ‘sheep without shepherds,’” he insisted.
The other interviewee added that Álvarez’s departure is the most rational thing for Ortega, but he regrets the heavy blow to the Catholic Church, because the dictator signed up for “another round.” The impact on the citizenry is that what happened with the bishop will cause demoralization, with the loss of a brave voice.
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The police operation against Álvarez leaves the clergy of Matagalpa headless. It also affects parishioners who felt supported by the bishop. For this last interviewee, it is possible that the priest’s collaborators were sent to El Chipote prison as a way of pressuring the Catholic leader to accept the government’s conditions in a possible negotiation. The other reading about another probable scenario is that the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) punishes people without following a logic, because it hits everyone. It’s his repressive style.
