The Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Managua, Monsignor Carlos Avilés, expanded his complaint about the tactics used by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to carry out religious persecution against the Nicaraguan Church.
“There are many cases of harassment of the clergy. Recordings of homilies, infiltrate people in the communities. I can tell you that in the catechism of confirmation and first communion they infiltrate people to see what we are teaching. In the homilies, about 40 or 50 homilies review each week to see what we say, what we preach,” the priest explained to the journalist Josué Villalón on Radio María España.
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The Catholic leader explained that the Church continues to accompany Nicaraguans in the midst of the serious socio-political crisis that the country is experiencing; and that this has meant that priests and bishops run the same risk of violating their human rights as the rest of the population.
“Thank God, our Church reflects what society is experiencing. And if society today is being violated and violated in its most basic rights such as the right to express oneself, to mobilize, the Church is experiencing the same, “said the religious.
Last week, Avilés said in an interview with the Catholic newspaper Alfa y Omega of the Archbishopric of Madrid that the Ortega regime has sent representatives to the country’s parishes to record the homilies of the priests; something that violates the Political Constitution of Nicaragua because it prohibits the State from carrying out political espionage actions.
«It is common to see (Police) patrols parked on the corners of churches or near the block; intimidating, watching, pointing plaques, taking photos even of the archbishop himself. Every time the Archbishop of Managua goes out they take photos of him, the Police, patrols, motorcycles follow him; Which, if they do to the archbishop, imagine they won’t do to the rest of the clergy. I speak to him about the Archdiocese of Managua, but I also know that at the level of the entire country it is the same”, narrated Father Avilés.
“A vulgar government does not respond”
Asked by the journalist if there was any communication between the Church and the Ortega regime, Monsignor Avilés explained that “there is no dialogue” and that everything is limited to a few communication channels to talk about “emergencies.”
He also lashed out at the silence of the Executive of Daniel Ortega when the Church has criticized his government management.
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“Instead of speaking of a dialogue between the Church and the authorities, we can say that there are channels of communication sometimes for certain emergencies, but there is no such dialogue. This government in a very vulgar way, simply does not respond. In 2014, the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua published a document trying to resolve, a very well-prepared pro-positive document addressing the issues of the national problem and yet the government did not even deign to respond, “lamented the also parish priest of the church. Holy Christ of the Hills of Managua.
a prophetic voice
Monsignor Carlos Avilés mentioned to Radio María España that the Nicaraguan Church is working to continue giving hope to the people of Nicaragua and in turn stated that they want to continue being an independent voice that does not allow itself to be manipulated by the Ortega dictatorship or by the political opposition.
“At the level of the Church we transmit hope with a prophetic, pacifist and humanist voice. We do not want to be manipulated by the government or manipulated by any opposition party. The Church has dedicated herself to giving hope to the faithful in Christ Jesus (…) without neglecting the prophetic denunciation, always telling the truths, denouncing crimes that occur and injustices and when an unjust law is published the same thing is denounced because many times laws are published to justify crimes, that is what this government is doing, “said the priest.
For the religious, precisely not remaining silent in the face of human rights violations has earned the Church the recognition of the vast majority of the population.
«The Church with a prophetic voice is illuminating the truth, it is telling the truth and so that pleases and gives people hope when they hear a word about the reality of what is happening, as I tell you, deeply humanist and pacifist. Without wanting to be manipulated by any ideology or political party and yet telling the truth about what is happening,” Aviles stressed.
“Everything is subject to the presidential couple”
The religious explained that the situation in Nicaragua is serious due to the abuses of power and arbitrariness committed by the Ortega dictatorship, and said that crime, lack of employment, repression and government corruption have been increasing.
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«The situation in our country is quite difficult because it has not been a few years, but already decades in which the institutionality has been destroyed; that is to say, that every government institution, powers, ministries, mayors, everything is subject to the presidential couple. (…) It is a disastrous situation, of injustices, “said the priest.
