The Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States, through its International Justice and Peace Committee, expressed, this Thursday, its solidarity with the bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, for what they described as an “unjustly imprisoned” for the Nicaraguan dictatorship.
In a statement made public through his website, the Bishop of Rockford, USA, and Chairman of the International Justice and Peace Committee, David J. Malloy, said that they have heard about “another failure in the negotiations » to achieve the release of the bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, who was «unfairly sentenced to twenty-six years in prison and stripped of his citizenship».
Faced with such a situation, the US bishops urge the Catholic people of that country and the international community to “continue praying for the bishop and advocating for his release.”
They also praise the recent decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (UDH Court) ordering the immediate release of Monsignor Álvarez.
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“The consensus of the international community is clear: the continued imprisonment of Bishop Álvarez is unjust and must end as soon as possible,” the American religious order.
In their statement, the bishops ask that “Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patron saint of Nicaragua and the United States, enlighten the hearts of all decision makers and that her maternal mantle protect the Church in Nicaragua.”
Libertad Foundation appreciates solidarity
For its part, the Libertad Foundation, whose president, Félix Maradiaga, has launched an international campaign to denounce the arbitrary imprisonment of Monsignor Álvarez and demand his release, thanked the US religious for the gesture of solidarity.
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“We completely agree with your assessment that the arbitrary detention of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez is unjust and must end as soon as possible,” the Libertad Foundation statement says. They also add that they will continue to defend the rights and freedom of the Nicaraguan bishop and “of all those who face persecution and oppression in Nicaragua” and recall that too. There are more than 60 political prisoners in arbitrary detention in the prisons of the dictatorship “and all of them must be released.”
