The Franciscan Friar Damián Muratori, 79, was arrested last Wednesday by the Italian Police after his arrival at the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome, said the Prosecutor’s Office of that country, through a statement that omits the identity of the religious and was issued This Thursday, February 16.
Muraroti was expelled by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murilloafter the religious asked to pray for the imprisoned bishop Rolando José Álvarez, who has been illegally sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison.
According to the Italian Prosecutor’s Office, the police officers executed an arrest warrant against the priest, who has a sentence of four years and six months in prison with “perpetual disqualification from public office.”
“The man – already convicted in 2019 and 2021 for the crime of aggravated sexual assault – was the recipient of a prison order in relation to which he must serve a total sentence of four years and six months in prison with perpetual disqualification for public office ” , indicates the document of the Italian Prosecutor’s Office.
It stresses that “the facts date back to 2009, when the aforementioned committed himself in Guatemala as a contact for a Catholic non-governmental organization, after having offered to help the then 29-year-old victim — known in Italy in the framework of the activity of same organization…
“After his conviction, the 79-year-old man — who had meanwhile moved to Nicaragua for years — was administratively expelled by the authorities of that country who then proceeded to repatriate the man to the Italian state, informing the Italian Embassy in Managua. at the same time ”, details the Prosecutor’s Office.
Support Bishop Rolando Álvarez
Originally from Italy, Muratori arrived in Nicaragua on March 14, 1976 and was a missionary in the Matagalp municipality of Matiguás. Since the year 2000 he has been the rector of the El Tepeyac Franciscan Sanctuary in San Rafael del Norte, department of Jinotega, which receives hundreds of believers of the priest Father Odorico D’Andrea, whom the friar considers a saint, for which reason he is vice postulator of the cause of her beatification.
On Sunday, February 12, Fray Damián celebrated a mass and referred to the imprisonment and sentence against Monsignor Álvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí.
“We are going to gather in prayer not only for ourselves, but for all Nicaraguans throughout the world, for the priests and also citizens who have forcibly left Nicaragua, and let us also pray for Monsignor Álvarez who is in jail, 26 years of age. jail, so that he can be brave and teach us to be really loyal, coherent and proud Nicaraguans to be Nicaraguans”, said Fray Damián when offering the Sunday liturgical celebration.
He commented that Álvarez “was on the list of those who had to go to the United States. Did Monsignor Álvarez leave? Why didn’t he leave? Because he didn’t want to!… In the end, 220 people caught the plane and one didn’t catch it. Was Monsignor Álvarez right? … He stayed and for me, a real man in pants… They put me in prison, put me in prison… ”.
*This article was originally published on CSI Mosaic.
