Father Harving Padilla, pastor of the San Juan Bautista Church in Masaya, denounced that the Police, at the service of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, increased the presence of troops in the perimeter of the parish and prevented entry to the religious temple to the parishioners who come every Sunday to Mass.
“Every Sunday morning we have two masses and on this occasion the Sandinista guard has not allowed the parishioners to enter the Eucharist. Our rights to our Christian life have been violated. The Police stationed themselves around the perimeter of the Church, they closed the streets, ”the priest denounced in 100% Noticias.
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Padilla went out to the atrium of the parish to ask the police contingent about their presence outside the temple and why they prevented the faithful from entering Sunday mass. “I would like to know, Mr. Police, why don’t they let the parishioners in and why do they keep me locked up? I would like to know, that they give me an explanation, I believe that they are not deaf. Is no one going to give me an explanation?”, the religious rebuked the agents.
“I denounce this arbitrariness again of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship of not being able to enter the Catholic congregation to the Eucharistic celebration and in the same way I denounce that if something happens to me, then here are those who are supposed to be the National Police and that they should protect our rights as citizens, as Nicaraguans, before people of integrity, people who have not committed any crime and yet you who are from the Police are committing crimes and your crimes are more, because you are the ones who must safeguard our rights as Nicaraguans,” said the priest before the police officers who were silent.
“I know that you are under orders, that if you were a National Police, the people would love you, but the people reject you. What a pity that you have lost all the integrity that you deserve, you have lost it completely; They have lost credibility with the people. I will continue to pray for you », he continued.
When asked about his possible arrest, the priest said “God’s will be done.” Despite the de facto state of siege, imposed by the dictatorship, the priest celebrated mass without the presence of the parishioners and with a large police deployment on the outskirts of the parish. “Although the Church is not open, I am going to celebrate the Eucharist. I am going to pray for you so that you react and are not manipulated, puppets before these arbitrariness that occur against us brothers », he sentenced.
The same situation of Father Harving Padilla is also experienced by the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, who is fasting and praying indefinitely in the Santo Cristo de Las Colinas Church in Managua. The parish is besieged by a strong device of police officers.
In its attack against the Catholic Church, the regime ordered Channel 51, Canal Católico, owned by the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and managed by Monsignor Álvarez, to be removed from the country’s cable companies.
