The Santa María Magdalena Parish, located in the indigenous neighborhood of Monimbó, in Masaya, was closed by orders of the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. The action was carried out by the Police at the service of the regime in the morning of this Friday, March 23.
On the outskirts of the parish, a police patrol and a dozen agents were stationed to prevent the entry of Father Bismarck Conde, foreign vicar of Masaya and parish priest of the Asunción Church, in that department.
The presence of Father Conde is due to the fact that yesterday, March 22, the Police tried to arrest Father Pedro Méndez, in charge of the Magdalena Church, for having carried out a day of fasting and prayer for the release of the Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez.
Related news: US congresswoman denounces Ortega’s “war” against the Catholic Church
The operation to apprehend Father Pedro Méndez was led by Commissioner Juan Valle Valle, sources on condition of anonymity confided to Article 66. The parishioners and Father Conde prevented the Police from taking the priest Méndez into custody. The events occurred in hours of yesterday night.
“They wanted to take the father away (detained) yesterday, but the parishioners opposed it and (the Catholic hierarchy) took him to the Managua Cathedral. Right now the person in charge (in charge) is Bismarck Conde, but the Police say that the church is closed, that of María Magdalena. Commissioner Juan Valle Valle gave the order,” the source said.
“They (the police) do not let anyone in, they said it will remain closed. Yesterday there was a day of fasting and prayer for Monsignor (Rolando) Álvarez, so that is why they went to look for Father Pedro Méndez, “he added.
“War Against the Church”
The US congresswoman of Cuban origin, María Elvira Salazar, recently denounced before her colleagues in the congressional subcommittee that the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo is waging a “war” against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church. Politics stated that not even the Somoza dictatorship dared to “mess” with the Church.
The complaint was raised during a hearing of subcommittees of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress in which they addressed the situation in Nicaragua.
During his speech, Salazar called Rosario Murillo “satanic” and Daniel Ortega “too small a man” for his persecution of religious. The participants also advocated for Monsignor Rolando Álvarez and asked for more pressure against the dictatorship.
