The Anglican Church of the Central American Region (IARCA) expressed its “dismay and concern” over the religious persecution exercised by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.
The banishment of priests and the condemnation of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, assures that they are actions that are “detrimental to peace, harmony and respect for basic political and human rights.”
IARCA says that Monsignor Álvarez’s resistance to exile is a decision “faithful to the ministry” to care for and walk with the people of God in the Diocese of Matagalpa and Estelí.
Related news: Matagalpinos: “Monsignor Álvarez is more than a Nobel Peace Prize, he is a saint”
According to the Anglican Church, this action by the bishop generated “dissatisfaction” in some people and root for the actions that have been carried out against them, such as the sentence of 26 years in prison against the cardinal.
“As pastors faithful to the mandate of Our Lord Jesus Christ to announce the Gospel of peace, justice and love: we urge the State of Nicaragua to always opt for dialogue, the search for processes for the reconciliation of that beloved people and to pay for the construction of peace,” says the official statement of IARCA.
The Anglican Church reminded the Ortega Murillo regime that respect for human dignity and their fundamental rights is the key to consolidating paths of democracy and well-being of the peoples. «As IARCA we commit ourselves to pray so that the beloved Nicaraguan people achieve peace and justice. We also pray for our beloved Nicaraguan Episcopal Church and express our consideration », he concludes.
Monsignor Álvarez refused on February 9 to be exiled from Nicaragua. On February 10, he was subjected to an express summary trial where he was found guilty for the alleged crimes of undermining national integrity, spreading false news, and obstructing functions. For these crimes, he was sentenced to 26 years in prison and stripped of his Nicaraguan nationality.
