Through a statement, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (Celam) expressed solidarity “in the face of the difficult sociopolitical situation that the Nicaraguan people are going through and that impacts the pastoral life and integrity of several members of the Catholic Church,” after the onslaught of the regime against the religious.
“In a special way, we stand in solidarity with Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, who has denounced situations of persecution and harassment by some members of the public force,” says the document of the organism.
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They demand from the Ortega regime “that the integrity and freedom of the members of the Catholic Church be respected, appealing to the path of dialogue and non-violence to guarantee peace and fraternity.” Faced with the mission of the Catholic leaders, they thanked for the “prophetic work of the shepherds together with their flock in defense of the truth and the common good, denouncing injustices and announcing the good news of the Gospel.”
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. In addition, he maintained days of siege against the religious leaders of Masaya and Matagalpa.
The bishops of Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama also issued a statement of solidarity with the Nicaraguan Church, recognizing and appreciating “the testimony of fidelity and perseverance of the Church that pilgrims in Nicaragua, especially its pastors: bishops and priests,” the document refers. issued on May 26.
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It should be noted that within the Episcopate of Honduras is Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, current Archbishop of Tegucigalpa; and one of the closest collaborators of Pope Francis.
The Honduran religious closed their message by praying to the Virgin Mary, in her invocation of the Immaculate, so that “harmony and dialogue return to the entire Nicaraguan people, overcoming the differences that may compromise peace and brotherhood among all.”
