The auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Monsignor Silvio José Báez, assured that “the powers of this world rise up threateningly against the Church, but the peace of Jesus makes it strong” after the persecution undertaken by the Daniel Ortega regime against the Catholic leaders. The Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez; Father Harvesting Padilla, from Masaya; and Father Uriel Vallejos; of Sebaco; They are victims of police harassment.
“Those who want to silence the voice of the Church should not be deceived. The Church will not be defeated by the dark forces of evil, nor by the dragon of violence. She will not give in to the provocations of evil agents. She will not negotiate the truth, she will not stop denouncing injustice, nor will she stop being a humble servant of the people, comforter of the poor and defender of the victims,” Báez said in his Sunday homily.
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“Let the wicked not be deceived. This meekness of the Church is not weakness, but strength. The Church does not live in fear or bowed down, she does not kneel in fear before the powerful, nor does she stop announcing the Gospel of hope and justice out of fear. The words of the Lord are unforgettable: “Do not lose your peace, nor be dismayed” », he added.
Call to identify the “lies”
The bishop, who is in exile due to persecution by the Nicaraguan regime, asked his parishioners to be alert to the “world of lies,” especially those spread by authoritarian governments.
«We live in a society full of falsehoods, in which hypocrisy is called diplomacy; to exploitation, business; to injustice, established order; to corruption, liveliness; to the submission of peoples, national sovereignty. Only the Holy Spirit can make us walk in truth, in the midst of so many lies, teaching us to live according to the word of Jesus,” said Báez, from the Santa Agatha Church in Miami.
“They will try to eliminate pastors”
Monsignor Báez quoted the Gospel of Matthew 10:28 where Jesus tells his disciples “do not be afraid of those who kill the body.” He assured that priests “we are not afraid of those who threaten jail, exile or death. They will try to eliminate pastors and prophets who reveal their lies and evil, but they will not be able to defeat their evangelical testimony and the love that the people have for them.
The auxiliary bishop affirmed that the peace of Jesus sustains the Church and makes it “stronger” than the “slander and persecution” suffered by its bishops and priests. “Let’s not be afraid. The peace of Jesus sustains the Church so that it continues to be a community of strong men and women, capable of loving and suffering for love. The peace of Jesus sustains the pastors of the Church who, like Jesus, still persecuted and slandered, continue to be passionate witnesses of the light, sowers of peace and prophets of hope », he concluded.
Father Harving Padilla and the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, who is fasting and praying indefinitely in the Santo Cristo de Las Colinas Church in Managua, are experiencing a permanent siege by the Police. The parishes of San Juan Bautista de Masaya and Santo Cristo de Esquipulas in Managua are besieged by a strong force of police officers and have not allowed the faithful to enter mass.
In its attack against the Catholic Church, the regime ordered Channel 51, Canal Católico, owned by the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and managed by Monsignor Álvarez, to be removed from the country’s cable companies.
