Monsignor Silvio Baezauxiliary bishop of Managua, invited Nicaraguans not to remain silent in the face of injustices or fear the persecution of those who are “discomforted” by the complaints.
In his homily this Sunday, June 26, Monsignor recalled that “the temptation to sell conscience to the highest bidder and make deals with evil and injustice is great,” but sticking to values requires sacrifices.
“There is no authentic prophecy that is cheap. When we take seriously the proclamation of the word of God, calling things by their name and proclaiming the demands of God’s mercy and justice, sooner or later we become uncomfortable and run the risk of being rejected or persecuted.” warned the religious leader from the Santa Ágatha Church, in Miami, United States.
He added that “that is why some think that it is better to keep quiet, that it is better not to look for trouble, that it is more prudent to act as if we did not know anything and avoid saying things that may upset us” because it is the “easiest” way, however , this would be letting oneself be conditioned by worldly interests or fear.
“Even if we have to ‘frown’ as Jesus did, we must not back down or remain mute and paralyzed by fear,” he said.
Nevertheless, Monsignor Silvio Jose Baez He made it clear that it is not about being filled with rage or being vengeful and intolerant, but rather “serving and doing good” acting with prudence, patience and serenity, rejecting all kinds of violence. “Doing good is not to garner applause and approval from others.”
“The world is not built by eliminating those who do not think like us (…) Anger, impatience, intolerance and revenge, produce nothing but suspicion, resentment, enmity and violence,” he said.
Monsignor, who was forced to leave Nicaragua due to the increase in government repression against the Catholic Church, also rejected the arrest of critical voices. “No one should be silenced for thinking differently from the rest of the people. Whoever represses or imprisons to silence those who are uncomfortable with his way of thinking is an enemy of life, someone who expresses his cowardice by crushing free consciences », he declared.
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“Let us never get used to being repressed and silenced. Let us fight so that in our hearts, in our words and also in social institutions, there is no room for intolerance and exclusion (…) United to Jesus, neither fear nor rejection can ever condition or stop us”, exhorted the Catholic leader .
He ended by making a call to stop attacks between people who pursue the same goal. «How much sterility and how much failure for not agreeing and disqualifying each other! Let’s open our minds and hearts”, she told a society with a fragmented opposition.
In the last month, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo increased its persecution against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church, imprisoning a priest in the midst of a smear media campaign. Political prisoner Manuel Salvador García Rodríguez, parish priest of Nandaime, was accused of assaulting a citizen, however, the accusation faltered when the alleged victim recanted. The posture of the woman caused the Ortega regime to also imprison her.
The dictatorship ended up sentencing Father García to two years in prison for committing the alleged crime of threatening with a weapon against five people, while looking for “evidence” to accuse him of assaulting the imprisoned woman. Neither the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua nor its religious leaders have spoken on the matter.
