President Jair Bolsonaro invited to take refuge in Brazil the religious who are “persecuted” by the Nicaraguan authoritiesduring his speech this Tuesday before the UN General Assembly.
Bolsonaro, who as president of Brazil, following the UN tradition, was the first of the heads of state and government to speak before the General Assembly, condemned the religious persecution that exists in the world and cited the case of Nicaragua.
“I want to announce that Brazil is opening its doors to welcome the persecuted priests and nuns in Nicaragua,” Bolsonaro, who is a strong defender of conservative values associated with Christianity, told the UN.
In 2022, the Catholic Church in Nicaragua has suffered the imprisonment and detention of priests, the cancellation of eight radio stations and three Catholic channels, the forced entry and search of a parish, and the expulsion of the missionaries of the order Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
One of the cases with the greatest international repercussion was the arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvareza strong critic against the Government of Daniel Ortega, who has been in prison since last August 19.
The bishop of the diocese of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the diocese of Estelí, both in northern Nicaragua, was abducted early Friday, August 19, by police officers from the provincial episcopal palace along with four priests, two seminarians and a cameraman.
The National Police, led by Francisco Díaz, President Ortega’s brother-in-law, accuses the high-ranking officer of trying to “organize violent groups,” allegedly “with the purpose of destabilizing the State of Nicaragua and attacking the constitutional authorities,” although at the moment they have not offered evidence.
Venezuelan case
Apart from Nicaragua, Bolsonaro also used his speech at the UN to criticize Venezuela, a country he associates with the “left” with which he identifies his main rival in the elections on October 2, former president Luiz Inácio Lula. da Silva.
Specifically, the leader of the Brazilian extreme right referred to “the Venezuelan brothers forced to leave their country” due to the crisis.
He explained that about 350,000 Venezuelans have already been received in Brazil and assured that they continue to arrive.
“In recent months, nearly 600 Venezuelans, women and children, arrive in Brazil on foot every day, weighing an average of 15 kilos less than they weighed before,” he said.
