Given the alleged opening of an “exhaustive investigation” by Ortega’s justice system against the leaders of the Catholic Church and its associations, Monsignor Carlos Avilés cataloged this new “threat” as “a media game” by the Nicaraguan regime.
The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Managua, in an interview for NOW, the podcast of Article 66indicated that “until that law comes out we are going to study it to see what it says, if it affects us”, but “if they have evidence (against religious) why don’t they act?”
On May 4, the administration of Daniel Ortega approved a report that seeks to reform Nicaragua’s criminal law with the aim of increasing prison sentences against future political prisoners and criminalizing religious leaders and human rights defenders for “treason.” to the fatherland.”
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The Catholic leader explained that the threats persist for the bishops. “It seems to me that it is a media game” the supposed investigation that they intend to carry out against the religious. “We cannot work with assumptions, let’s wait for them to accuse us and we will see what we do but until now we have to talk and play with facts,” he said.
“But if they have evidence to throw us in jail, then let them do it. They have publicly said that the bishops are coup plotters, thieves, terrorists if they have evidence that they do so, but if not, I said that it is a media game and whoever echoes it is playing the game, “he insisted.
The Ortega regime is uncomfortable with its unpopularity
Monsignor Carlos Avilés stated that the Catholic Church “has only accompanied” the people of Nicaragua in their discontent with the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, who are increasingly “unpopular” and that “hurts them, bothers them, not they like”.
“They are hurt because the people have shown their unpopularity in 2018, because it was the straw that broke the camel’s back (…). The church has only accompanied the people in that unpopularity, that the government feels that they are not popular, they call elections, everyone went to verify, they imprison all the candidates, nobody went to vote, so that is a sign of unpopularity and it seems that it bothers him, he doesn’t like it,” he said.
“They are becoming more and more unpopular, they have already fought with the whole world internationally, all of this is becoming more and more unpopular and I do not know what purpose they are seeking,” he added.
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He stressed that “we are a reflection of the people of God. We are the same as the citizens, we are waiting, to those who happen to us, we do not know what is going to happen to us ».
“Humanly” there is fear among the religious
The harassment, harassment and threats by the Ortega regime against the leaders of the Catholic Church persists. “The patrols always stop at the corners, they are always listening to and recording the homily of many churches, there is intimidation of parishioners, all of that exists, but we continue with our work,” Avilés said.
The Catholic leader assured that they are “afraid, we are not Superman, of course we are humanly afraid but we continue working on what we do, on evangelization, on charity, the formation of Christian communities as well as on celebrations from the Eucharist, we continue working on what we can, how we can, how far we can and how we can».
