The International Alliance for Freedom of Religion or Belief (IRFBA) condemned the “hostility, discrimination and persecution” of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Situations that, they warn, are a consequence of the Government’s “continued” breach of its international obligations in the field of human rights, including that of freedom of religion or belief.
The organization, made up of 37 countries, cited in its public complaint that in less than four years the Nicaraguan Catholic Church has been the target of 190 attacks, including the fire in the Managua cathedral in August 2020 and police harassment against bishops and priests.
The organization specifically recalled the situation of the Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, Monsignor Rolando Alvarezwho has been under house arrest since August 5, first in the Episcopal Palace of Matagalpa and then in the house of his relatives in the city of Managua.
Monsignor Álvarez is supposedly “investigated” by the regime for trying to “organize violent groups”, presumably “with the purpose of destabilizing the State of Nicaragua and attacking the constitutional authorities”. Despite the seriousness of the accusations, the authorities have not offered any evidence against the religious leader.
Like Monsignor Álvarez, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo keeps eight priests, two seminarians and a committed layman imprisoned. In addition, last March he expelled the apostolic nuncio Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag from the country and months later, in July, 18 Missionaries of Charity. He also shut down a dozen Church-owned media outlets and forced several priests into exile.
“We request the immediate release of Bishop Álvarez and the other unjustly detained priests and that freedom of religion or belief be restored,” added the religious organization in a note, supported among others by the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Colombia. .
On September 28, Ortega again attacked the Catholic Church and accused it of being a “dictatorship” and a “perfect tyranny” and of not practicing democracy.
The arrests of priests have continued in recent weeks, the last to have been captured was the priest Enrique Martínez Gamboa, 64 years old. The priest is also being held in El Chipote.
