The human rights activist, Bianca Jagger, asked Nicaraguans not to be intimidated by “what this criminal couple is doing – in reference to Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo -“, and not to forget Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, imprisoned and tried for the regime, because “he needs us right now.”
Jagger, interviewed on the Esta Semana program —which is only broadcast online due to the censorship ordered by the Ortega and Murillo government— also said that she does not understand the silence of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, and even of the Vatican itself, although “We have a prophetic voice outside of Nicaragua: Monsignor Silvio Báez, who every Sunday in his homily inspires us and gives us courage to continue fighting.”
Precisely from the parish of Santa Ágatha, in Miami, (Florida), the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, preached that “we have to learn to face the unexpected and painful situations of life without being trapped in disappointment, without falling into victimhood and without sinking into sadness. You have to distance yourself from events, consider all aspects, not act hastily, know how to wait”.
The defender narrated how, in the multiple scenarios in which she has advocated for the situation in Nicaragua, her interlocutors have been alarmed by the intensification of the authoritarian drift of Ortegaism, which sat a bishop on the accused bench, after do the same with priests, student leaders, trade unions, academics, politicians, social leaders, etc.
Given the international situation, with an international community concerned about the Russian aggression against Ukraine, they had stopped paying much attention to Nicaragua, “despite the brutality of the persecution that exists in the country and the crimes against humanity that have been committed.” committed by the Ortega Murillo regime,” Jagger said.
He considers that by attacking the Church, “Mr. Ortega and Mrs. Murillo made a serious mistake,” because “persecuting the Church, put a prelate, a bishop in the seat of the accused, having kept him kidnapped for 131 daysnot allowing him to have a phone, having put the priests, the seminarians and the photographers who were with him in jail, has caused a scandal, it has shocked the world and all those with whom I have spoken”.
He adds that before, when he advocated for the release of political prisoners or spoke about the repression in Nicaragua, he found sympathy and solidarity for the Nicaraguan people, “but I never got the answer that I have had since I have spoken about the persecution of the Church and in particular the persecution of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez LagosY of the priests and of the Catholic Church as an institution”.
He insists that “the error of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo” became “very serious” when they brought him before a judgeand the world was able to see “how he has deteriorated, how he has lost weight, how he was pale and see how they stripped him of his cassock”, although they cannot take away his dignity.
Why not, Your Holiness?
On the other hand, the activist does not understand the silence of the Nicaraguan Catholic leadership, nor that of the Vatican hierarchywho have refrained from speaking out about the hardships of the clergy and the Nicaraguan Catholic people.
Jagger expresses that it has made him “very sad, it has truly surprised me, first of all that the Episcopal Conference has not condemned the persecution of the Church and in particular the kidnapping of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez Lagos, that it has not condemned the fact that there are priests in the jail, in exile, that they have not condemned that there are 247 political prisoners who are being tortured in Nicaragua. I don’t understand”.
The defender says that she has made a call to Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, asking why he did not plead with the Pope for the hostages of the Catholic Church who are in the hands of the regime, when he visited the Holy Father; “Why does the Pope continue to pursue this idea of a dialogue with a misgovernment that commits crimes against humanity, that tortures prisoners, in which the brutal repression against the people of Nicaragua increases every day?” she questions.
Although from her work as a human rights defender she advocates following a civilized path that includes dialogue, she thinks that for this there must be objectivity, and being aware that going to dialogue under current conditions “can become an accomplice of a regime who commits crimes against humanity”.
That is why he has made “a respectful appeal to the Holy Father, in many forums… in a video that I have recorded. I have even written for religious publications… I don’t understand why, because he cares about the persecuted in the world, and he has spoken about the situation of the Ukrainian people. Why not Nicaragua? What happen? Why believe that it is possible to have a dialogue with Daniel Ortega? I know that there have been efforts by the Church with Cuba and Colombia to free certain prisoners, but it is evident that this dialogue has not worked”.
“The moment to speak, the moment to denounce, the moment to invoke and pronounce the name of Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez Lagos. Why don’t they mention it? Why not pray for them? I don’t get it,” he points out.
In Miami, Monsignor Báez complemented his preaching by saying that “in the face of unjust structures and situations in which we feel impotent and outraged, we must not fall into despair, thinking that everything is useless and there is nothing to do. Nor should we let ourselves be carried away by haste and rage. Hasty decisions are almost always wrong.
For this reason, he reiterated that “in the face of the evil that is imposed on us and wants to subdue us, let us not allow negative feelings to prevail. Let us not get tired of believing in the power of truth and justice. We must be lucid and serene and always trust in God who never abandons us”.
