Citing the biblical text of Saint Matthew in chapter 12 verse 7: “I want mercy and not sacrifices,” Father Edwing Román, former pastor of the San Miguel Arcángel church in Masaya, expressed through his Twitter account that “God is very close to those who practice mercy”.
The affirmation of the religious comes when the regime of Daniel Ortega intensified its repression against the Catholic Church of Nicaragua, imprisoning the Father Manuel Salvador Garciaparish priest of the Jesús de Nazareno church, in Nandaime ya Monsignor Jose Leonardo Urbina, parish priest of the Perpetuo Socorro Church, in Boaco; who are charged with common crimes.
Related news: Boaco’s father breaks the silence: «We are declared guilty for being priests. We are defenseless”
In reference to the Nicaraguan dictatorship, Román pointed out that God “is far from those whose heart is ruthless and hard as stone.”
“It is the hypocrisy of saying to love God, to be a Christian, to be “blessed”, and not to know love,” added the prelate in relation to the questionable religiosity of which the vice-dictator of Nicaragua, Rosario Murillo, boasts, but at the same time he rants against the opposition and the Catholic Church.
In the same social network, Father Román expressed his solidarity with the priests Urbina and García, who join the list of political prisoners in Nicaragua. «United in solidarity, and prayer for the brother priests: Fr. Manuel Salvador García, and Bishop Leonardo Urbina. “We are the Body of Christ.” 1 Corinthians. 12.27”.
Church breaks silence over arrest of priests
On the afternoon of Thursday, July 14, the Diocese of Granada issued a pastoral message expressing its sorrow for the imprisonment of two priests from that ecclesial jurisdiction at the hands of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
“We thank God for the prayers, affection and solidarity of you (faithful) in these difficult times. His compassion unites us in the suffering caused by the imprisonment of fathers Manuel Salvador García and Monsignor Leonardo Urbina, with them we all place ourselves in the hands of the Lord, ”says the message from the Presbyteral Council of Granada.
Related news: Church breaks the silence and asks for prayers for priests imprisoned by the dictatorship
The message from the Diocese comes after weeks of silence from the Church authorities in the midst of a wave of religious persecution initiated by the Ortega regime.
Hours before the same day, the priest Allan Alfonso Paizano, of the Santiago Apóstol Parish, in Boaco denounced the arrest of Monsignor José Leonardo Urbina Rodríguez, who was accused of allegedly committing the crimes of “rape and psychological injuries” to a minor.
During the program broadcast by Radio Católica de Boaco, the religious leader said that the family and the community “are hurt” by the way in which the priest has been treated as if “he were a criminal.”
Related news: Monsignor José Leonardo Urbina will appear at an initial hearing on July 21
«Brother Leonardo (Urbina) does not fight with anyone, he is a super easygoing person, he has always been super kind, everyone’s friend, how is it not going to hurt. It hurts deep down to see him humiliated, handcuffed, like a criminal, it hurts,” said the father.
This is the first time that the Catholic Church condemns the arrest of two of its prelates and calls on the people of Nicaragua to join in prayer for the release of Ortega’s two new prisoners of conscience, who now number more than 190.
