The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Monsignor Silvio José Báez, in his homily this Sunday, November 13, stated that the disciples of Jesus have been persecuted in the early church just as today they are also “persecuted and taken to jail” by his cause”, for announcing the truth of the Gospel and denouncing sin and injustice».
In Nicaragua, the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega keeps a dozen priests, deacons and laity in prison. The bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez Lagos, is being held captive in his family home in Managua. Today he turns 101 after being locked up by police officers in the Episcopal See of Matagalpa.
“When we take seriously the announcement of the word of God, when we call things by their name and proclaim the demands of God’s mercy and justice, sooner or later we become uncomfortable and run the risk of being rejected or persecuted. », said Bishop Báez from the pulpit of the Santa Agatha Church in Miami, United States.
Related news: Father Edwing Román recalls that the Church is persecuted “because of justice”
“When the Church is persecuted, neither should one be discouraged, nor be carried away by resignation. Persecution is the time to be humble but courageous witnesses of Jesus and the gospel. We must learn to live the faith and to be prophets of Jesus in the midst of insecurity, conflict and false accusations, trusting in the presence of the Lord who sustains us and without allowing ourselves to be paralyzed by fear. Jesus assures the Church of his presence in the midst of conflicts and persecutions », he added.
The auxiliary bishop of Managua assured that when the Church is persecuted, Jesus does not want it to be “silent”; but full of wisdom and that he knows how to tell the truth with “meekness but with clarity and courage”. He added that “the great challenge of the Church” when it suffers persecution is “letting itself be inspired by Jesus” who assures them “words full of wisdom and good sense, but so clear and forceful that the adversaries will not be able to against them”.
“Defend the Church from fierce wolves”
The cardinal indicated that the word of the Church, inspired by Jesus, is a “serene, clear and courageous” word, which will always be stronger than the “hate speeches, violent threats and criminal actions of its adversaries”, in reference to the attacks of the Ortega Murillo dictatorship against the Church of Nicaragua.
“Let’s not be afraid. Fear is bad, it locks us in on ourselves, it prevents us from being consistent, it makes us distort reality and can lead us to sell our conscience and, in the worst case, we can end up denying Jesus and renouncing the Church”, he affirmed. .
“The Church is always accompanied by the loving presence of Jesus, who cares for our lives, even in the smallest and most insignificant details such as the hair on the head. Jesus is with us. His presence will always be faithful and vigorous to defend her Church against the fierce wolves who want to intimidate her, bend her and submit her to her evil interests, “he added.
US to Assess Religious Persecution This Week
Next Tuesday, November 15, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRFfor its acronym in English), will address the authoritarian drift of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church, revealed former ambassador Arturo McFields on his Twitter account.
In his brutal attack on the religious, some have been accused of common crimes and others for “conspiracy to undermine national integrity and spread false news.”
The Commission has condemned on several occasions the actions of the Ortega Murillo regime against the Nicaraguan Church. Said actions of the dictatorship include physical attacks on priests, bishops and the apostolic nuncio; the desecration of religious temples; the closure of religious media outlets; the imprisonment of priests, among others.
