The priest Erick Díaz, of the San José Obrero Parish in El Tuma-La Dalia, in the department of Matagalpa, revealed that he went into exile after suffering persecution from the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and facing threats of arrest.
In a letter published on his Facebook profile, the priest titled “The pain that we carry in our hearts, all of us who have had to leave our homeland to safeguard our lives and our freedom” to announce his forced exile due to the onslaught of the regime of Nicaragua.
“On the day that we celebrate our patron saint, Our Lady of Mercy, I let those who have been asking about me know that I had to go into exile. This decision has not been easy, but above all there is life and the inherent rights of every human being that have been disrespected,” wrote the parish priest Erick Díaz.
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The religious affirmed that his only crime was to be on the side of the truth and of the “suffering people”, in defense of the rights of each citizen. That they defend human dignity and that they raise their voices for the “trampled, marginalized and defenseless”.
«The Church has never been defending ideas, because it is not its mission. Because a priest has never wanted (and will never want) to be a mayor, councilor or deputy. A bishop has never wanted to be president, or another public service, since we are pastors and it is the best gift that God in Jesus Christ has given us, to be ministers and ambassadors of the things of heaven on earth », he emphasized.
Father Erick Díaz explained that on August 14 he was prohibited from attending the Marian Congress in Matagalpa and was locked up by the Police in the parish he administered. On Friday, August 19, he did not attend a mass that he would officiate in a community for his safety because a police patrol arrived there.
«On Saturday, the 20th, I managed to get out, but some agents who were surrounding the entrance to the parish hurled insults at me and took many photographs of the vehicle in which I was traveling. On Sunday, the 21st, the Sunday mass was visited by plainclothes agents, who photographed and took videos inside the mass », he mentioned.
On Tuesday, August 23, a month ago, the priest was informed that “he had to escape” because he would be arrested. The religious called for the release of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, and all the detained priests and laity.
“They are innocent and must be released and returned to our beloved Diocese, where we all want to meet and continue with our mission, which is to save souls for Jesus Christ,” he stressed.
“What Nicaragua is suffering today has no similar precedent, it is a great pain for everyone. However, although everything seems lost, it is not… Today Nicaragua is mired in pain, in fear, in terror. But from all of this a new future is built”, Father Erick Díaz concluded.
