Monsignor Silvio José Báez, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, exhorted not to reject and not to make judgments lightly when State workers, both inside and outside of Nicaragua, decide to denounce and get out of the circle of the dictatorship.
Basing himself on the parable of the “prodigal son”, the religious said during his homily at the Santa Agatha Church, in Miami, United States, that “many times we move away from the father’s house, from the house of love, of truth and of freedom, but we are never totally lost. Even if we walk away and fall into the most shameful sins, God is always waiting for us with mercy to celebrate for us.
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“If we don’t want to stay out of the heart of God, we too have to learn to rejoice and celebrate for those who, after being touched by the love of God and reconsidering, change course in life and come back, rectify and orient again his existence towards love, life and truth,” he added.
Alluding to the former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Arthur McFields, who denounced and condemned the repression unleashed by the Ortega and Murillo regime, the prelate indicated that “sometimes we are very harsh with those who, after living wrongly, decide to channel their lives along the paths of good and justice. We can’t forgive.”
The prelate taught that the biblical parable invites society “to broaden the horizon of our hearts to the extent of the Father’s mercy. When someone repents and decides to change, you have to support him with affection.
«When someone who has made a mistake, recognizes his sins and corrects himself, he always feels ashamed and needs our closeness and our understanding. Let us not remain indifferent before these brothers, nor let us be rigid of heart thinking that there are people who are not worthy of receiving God’s embrace and forgiveness », he emphasized.
“It is not easy to reconsider”
Báez also made reference that “in our society there may be people who, for whatever reason, have collaborated with the dominant unfair system, but who one day reconsider and decide to change. It’s not easy for them.”
He pointed out that many of those who dare to denounce the abuses and crimes of the dictatorship are afraid of the reprisals of the regime and of the misunderstanding of society. “You have to value his decision; they decide to get out of the ideological prison in which they have lived, they free themselves from the humiliation to which they have been subjected, denounce injustice and place themselves on the right side of history».
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“Let us support these brothers and sisters. Let’s not ask: why didn’t he do it before? Is he sincere? Does he deserve to be welcomed? Let’s not stop at the past mistakes of others, let’s not keep pointing fingers at the bad things they have done. Let us be in tune with the heart of God and offer these people understanding, support and forgiveness,” the bishop recommended.
«The house of the father of the parable is the world, it is our society. We are called to rejoice in being able to live together in the great paternal house, the house of love and life (…) God is an outrageously good and merciful father, for whom there are neither pure nor impure, near and far, good and bad. . God is a father who welcomes us all and forgives us, celebrates for us, and helps us all get up if we allow ourselves to be embraced by him”, concluded Monsignor Báez.
The exhortation of the Catholic hierarch comes after McFields made the decision on March 23 to expose the dictator Daniel Ortega before the OAS. It was recently learned that the lawyer Paul Reichler He resigned from his position as Nicaragua’s international legal adviser before the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, after being in office for more than 20 years.
The latter stated that he felt disappointed because “the Daniel Ortega of today” is not the one he knew, who was interested in human rights, but who has now dedicated himself to repressing his people.
