The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Monsignor Silvio José Báez, has become the prophetic voice of the Nicaraguan Catholic Church in exile and of the community abroad. This April 28 he is turning 65 and for 38 years he has exercised his pastoral work after being ordained a priest.
The chief is one of the most critical and dissonant personalities against the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, the couple of dictators who have held Nicaragua hostage for 15 years.
Related news: Monsignor Báez criticizes the blindness of the powerful who “call evil good and good they call evil”
The prelate was ordained a priest in the city of San Ramón, Alajuela, Costa Rica on January 15, 1985. Since his ordination he has carried out various pastoral tasks in Guatemala, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, the United States, Italy and Peru.
His return to Nicaragua
The Cathedral of Managua was crowded, it was the Chrism mass of Holy Thursday 2009, a priest unknown to the parishioners was presented as the new auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, his name: Silvio José Báez Ortega.
He arrived in the country to support the then Monsignor Leopoldo Brenes Solórzano, metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Masaya and Carazo, in the pastoral work.
Over the years, dozens of homilies, visits to the most remote communities and his prophetic voice, Monsignor Báez earned the respect and admiration of the Catholic faithful, the Nicaraguan opposition and young people.
Your voice of denunciation
Monsignor Báez has denounced on social networks, from the pulpit of the Church and in every space where he is present; the violations of the human rights of the Nicaraguan people who live under a dictatorship that committed crimes against humanity, according to reports from international organizations.
His prominent role in defense of the human rights of Nicaraguans forced him into exile, a decision by Pope Francis to protect his physical integrity.
When announcing his exile, Bishop Báez revealed that the Ortega-Murillo regime had planned an attack against him, a fact that was alerted to him by the United States Embassy in Managua, he even denounced that several drones were flying over his residence.
Beaten by FSLN mobs
During the sociopolitical crisis of 2018, he was attacked by Ortega mobs in the Basilica Menor de San Sebastián in Carazo when he was part of a delegation of priests who, together with the then apostolic nuncio, Waldemar Sommertag, responded to the call for help from a group of young people. paramedics who took refuge in the religious temple after the so-called “Cleaning Operation” which consisted of the lifting, by bullets, of the roadblocks.
His homilies criticize the rulers and defend the Nicaraguan people; This has led him to be the target of attacks by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. They have mounted smear campaigns, memes, manipulated videos, they even collected signatures to ask Pope Francis to remove him from office.
The reprimand to the JS
In June 2013, one of the clashes between the auxiliary bishop and the Sandinista Youth mobs of the Ortega regime was recorded. Báez together with the Archbishop of Managua reached the Plaza Inter roundabout to talk with the peat farmers.
The supporters of Ortega were led by Pedro Orozco, they had taken the place with a loudspeaker, T-shirts and FSLN flags. Hours before they had beaten the elderly who demanded a reduced pension and the young people who supported their requests.
“In the name of God, do not create more tension, that music at high volume, when there are people suffering and boys beaten, is not something that will contribute to peace… That music, those government shirts are not contributing to peace,” Báez affirmed. after being interrupted by the peat farmers shouting “we want peace”, as they did with John Paul II on his first visit to Nicaragua.
“Let’s be serious, we are not stupid here, they are not going to deceive us, contribute to true tranquility or go against peace,” Báez replied to Orozco.
