The Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes lamented the persecution against the Catholic Church in the world and called for reconciliation, during his homily this Saturday, April 23, at the Risen Christ parish. The Archbishop of Managua shared the message, while on the outskirts of the temple, police and motorized civilians surrounded the place, confirmed national media.
The cardinal was invited to celebrate the Holy Eucharist of the religious act of “Opening of the Holy Door”, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Risen Christ parish, located in Managua, in which he stressed that “the mission always has its setbacks”.
“Knowing Jesus Christ, making Jesus Christ known, letting others hear about Jesus Christ has its difficulties. It is sad, I think you will not let me lie, we know it through the media, how there is persecution for Christians, how temples have been attacked, how temples have been destroyed, that there is like a hatred, and it is an experience that they (Christians) had at the beginning of the Church,” he said.
During the act, at least three police officers and other civilians who were traveling on motorcycles stationed themselves at the entrance of the parish where Cardinal Brenes was, confirmed the newspaper La Prensa.
The Nicaraguan Catholic Church has been the target of attacks by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo and their followers. The dictatorial couple has expressed, on several occasions, their discomfort against the bishops, whom they have accused of “violate the gospel to commit crimes against humanity” for having helped the protesters during the 2018 repression.
«We remember how there were voices of those who were called pastors who ordered the policemen to be thrown out of the toilets, the policemen who were burning alive. How are we going to forget that? How are we going to forgive that? Neither forgiveness nor oblivion for the massacres of peace, of harmony, of quiet life and of the people,” Murillo declared at the beginning of April, a month that increased his verbal attack against priests and opponents at the gates of the fourth anniversary of the rebellion. .
The cardinal went on to say, during his homily, that “I thought of many places (where) it is being prohibited to speak of Jesus Christ, but we as a Church cannot remain silent, we cannot stop speaking of Jesus Christ because He is risen, because He is alive.” ».
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He urged the encounter with Jesus Christ in this Jubilee Year through, also, reconciliation. “How beautiful it is to reconcile! The strong point within the Jubilee Year in a parish, in a diocese: the sacrament of reconciliation (…) Christ is the Holy Door and we have to enter through it because if we look for other ways to enter the temple, what does the gospel say? ? The thieves, the robbers do not enter through the main door, they look for other places », he added, while he received police harassment.
