The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Silvio Báez, urged this Sunday, January 22, to defend “the freedom and dignity” of the human being and to fight “against everything that oppresses and humiliates him”, as is currently the case in Nicaragua where it has been established “a state of permanent terror”according to the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights (Cenidh).
During the mass officiated from the Santa Agatha church, in Miami, Florida, a meeting point for the Nicaraguan community in the United States, Báez reflected on the phrase of Jesus: “I will make you fishers of men”, about which he said that it is an invitation to take men out of the “immense sea of dehumanization and evil”.
“For the Israelites the sea with its stormy waves was a symbol of the forces of evil. The deep waters were considered the seat of everything that was hostile to God and destructive of the human being. Being ‘fishers of men’ means immersing yourself in the whirlwind of the waters of history and helping others to have life and freedom”, the bishop explained in his homily.
The Carmelite religious —who is in exile since 2019 due to a request from Pope Francis after threats from Sandinista fanatics- urged to be “builders of men”, that is, “people who approach others seeking their good, serving them and helping them get ahead.”
Báez’s message comes when more than 235 political prisoners of the regime are registered in Nicaragua and the Catholic Church is under persecution with a dozen imprisoned priests, including the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Alvarezunder house arrest. The regime accuses him of “conspiracy to undermine national integrity” and “propagation of false news.”
Monsignor Báez, like Álvarez, has stood out for his pastoral work, his defense of human rights and the demand that the powerful respect human dignity. At different times they have raised their voices for injustices, denouncing the brutal repression of the State of Nicaragua against peaceful protesters in 2018.
The regime accused, from then on, in a hate speech of “coup plotters” the priests. Ortega has described the Catholic Church as a “perfect dictatorship” and on September 29, 2022, accused the priests, without mentioning their names, of having called for bloodshed during the crisis, while praising the repressive leadership. from the police. He did not show any evidence in the accusations of him as has happened on other occasions.
“To be ‘fishers of men’ is to be educators of men, that is, people who are dedicated to fully educating the new generations in the great human values of justice and truth in order to build a new culture founded on dialogue, respect and tolerance”, pointed out the bishop in his Sunday sermon.
