Pope Francis "concerned" for the arrest of a bishop in Nicaragua

Pope Francis expressed his “concern” on Sunday over the growing tensions between the Nicaraguan government and the Catholic Church, two days after the arrest of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, a critic of President Daniel Ortega.

“I closely follow with concern and pain the situation created in Nicaraguawhich involves people and institutions,” the pontiff said after the Angelus prayer.

Francis expressed his “conviction and hope that through an open and sincere dialogue the foundations for a respectful and peaceful coexistence can still be found.”

Rolando Álvarez, critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortegawas arrested on Friday and transferred to his family residence in Managua where he remains deprived of liberty, in the latest episode of the confrontation between the government and the Catholic Church.

The Police specified that they made the decision to transfer Álvarez because he persisted in his “destabilizing and provocative” activities.

Álvarez, 55, had been besieged in the Matagalpa curia by the police since August 4 as part of an investigation for “organizing violent groups” and inciting “hate” to “destabilize the State of Nicaragua.”

The bishop had denounced the closure by the authorities of five Catholic radio stations and had demanded that the government of Daniel Ortega respect religious “freedom.”