The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, warned this Sunday that the time will come when the oppressors end up defeated. He thus expressed it during the mass celebrated in the parish of Santa Agatha in Miami, United States.
The Catholic Church is under attack by the Daniel Ortega regime, which keeps the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Alvarez Since August 19, he prosecuted his close circle—made up of religious and laity—and imprisoned three other priests, causing the exile of other parish priests.
The bishop’s words are firm. “The time will come when the cynical tongues of the powerful, arrogant and liars will be silenced forever, the time will come when those who impose themselves in a tyrannical way will end up defeated,” said Báez, when analyzing the book of Habakkuk, where the prophet complains and protest before God for injustice.
According to the bishop, one of the most critical of the Nicaraguan dictatorship and who is in exile since 2019—On the guidance of Pope Francis— the prophet also teaches Christians not to resign themselves to “the powerful intimidating with their lying and cynical speeches.”
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In addition to the persecution of critical Catholic leaders, the dictatorship has prohibited processions in Managua, Matagalpa and Masaya, and even in the latter city it cordoned off the parishes of San Miguel and San Jerónimo, under the argument of guaranteeing public safety. Along with these measures, the Institute of Telecommunications and Post Office (Telcor), canceled the license of seven radio stations in Matagalpa, a television channel, while Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo increased their hate speech.
“This prophet teaches us that we cannot be indifferent to tyrants who impose their sick will to power with the force of repression and violence. The prophet Habakkuk teaches us, above all, that in those moments we must turn our hearts to God to protest before him. Yes, protesting before God is also praying”, affirmed the Carmelite religious.
On September 28, during his speech on the 43rd anniversary of the Police, Ortega himself insulted diplomats and got involved in accusing the Nicaraguan bishops, without showing evidence, among other things, of asking them to “put lead in” during the 2018 protests when thousands of citizens took to the streets to demand a change of government and received a brutal repression from the State in response.
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The attacks against Francis
Ortega has been in power since 2007. In the same hate speech, trying to teach democracy lessons, he wondered who chose the priests, bishops and Pope Francis himself, while accusing the Catholic Church of being a “dictatorship”. perfect”.
In Nicaragua there are currently 205 political prisoners and the Police have imposed for years a de facto police system, which has violated the rights of assembly and demonstration of citizens.
In the midst of this adverse context for citizens, which has caused thousands of Nicaraguans to leave the country to protect their integrity, Báez insisted on calling for hope and trust and seeing history with different eyes, listening to God’s invitation to that evil and injustice will never triumph.
“In the darkest and most painful moments, don’t sink into loneliness. Like Habakkuk, the prophet in solidarity with his oppressed people, like Jesus on the cross victim of unjust power, we must learn to cry out to God from the contradictions, conflicts and problems of life, ”added Báez.
The Nicaraguan bishop said that the just man does not give in to the temptation to act with the violence of which he is a victim. Citing the Supreme Pontiff, Báez recalled that sometimes “copying the tyrant’s hatred and violence is the best way to take his place.”
