The recent mass celebrated by Monsignor Rolando José Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, in Seville, Spain, two years after being kidnapped by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, already one year after he was exiled to the Vatican, in Rome filled the Nicaraguan people with hope.
The released and exiled politician Manuel Obando, former head of the media of the Diocese of Matagalpa, stated that seeing Monsignor Rolando Álvarez officiate said homily represented for the Catholic faithful, especially for the people of Matagalpa, “a joy, a great consolation.” and hope of God for us.
«We had not seen him celebrating mass since August 2022; Two years and four months have passed, and then we see our bishop of Matagalpa celebrate the Eucharist in a special place, before the Virgin of Sorrows, who suffered for her son on the Cross, unjustly condemned,” Obando stated.
Álvarez officiated the homily on December 18 and, during it, addressed his first words to the Christian people of Nicaragua, especially that of his Diocese of Matagalpa.
“In honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, in memory of Our Lady of Hope, and on the eve of the 100 years of the canonical foundation of my blessed and beloved Diocese of Matagalpa, we pray for our beloved Nicaragua,” said Monsignor Álvarez during the Eucharistic celebration.
Morales stated that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez’s act “has had a lot of meaning, and I have received messages from people who were happy to see him with his liturgical vestments. “This has meant hope and joy, and it comes in a special context: tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the Diocese of Matagalpa.”
Monsignor Álvarez “prays and thinks daily” in his Diocese of Matagalpa
Obando assures that celebrating the 100 years of the Diocese of Matagalpa, in a situation of persecution like the one experienced in the country, confirms that said Diocese, its priests and bishops “are on the right path.”
«The diocese has borne fruit; The tree that bears the most fruit is the one that is hit the most. Reaching 100 years, although in this situation, will be celebrated with thanksgiving, but also in a sense of penance, because they arrive with the bishop gone, more than half of their clergy gone, and with parishes that do not have priests on time. complete,” he said.
The lawyer Martha Patricia Molina highlighted, in an interview with Article 66, that the words of Bishop Álvarez, in his first public appearance, “demonstrate that he prays and thinks daily about his Diocese of Matagalpa.”
He pointed out that the Diocese of Matagalpa has been one of the most “impacted by the persecution of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship, but, despite all the attacks, the pastoral and evangelizing mission is still present in each of the parishes of that diocese.” .
«Monsignor Álvarez continues to illuminate and encourage the faith of Nicaraguans»
Journalist Israel González Espinoza, specialized in socio-religious coverage, said that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez “has continued working as a pastor in the communities where he is needed” and that from the Catholic Church of Nicaragua “there is an important commitment, which is continue evangelizing, bringing the word of God even in the midst of the religious persecution experienced by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
“The Diocese of Matagalpa has given proof of its fidelity to the Church, with strong testimonies in favor of the cause of the gospel, being close to those who suffer, in the first person of its bishop, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez,” indicated González from exile in Spain.
Furthermore, he appreciated that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, who is also apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, along with other bishops such as Monsignor Silvio Báez, represents the best of the Nicaraguan Church. «He is one of his best sons, a good citizen who has gone so far as to give his life in that disgraceful prison, for the gospel and for the people of Nicaragua. Therefore, he is a man who continues to illuminate and encourage the faith of Nicaraguans, even though he is far from his homeland,” said González.
