Pope Francis confirmed at a press conference that there is “dialogue” between the Holy See and the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, although this does not mean that everything the regime does is “approved.”
“On Nicaragua all the news is clear. There is dialogue. There has been talk with the government, there is dialogue. This does not mean that I approve of everything the government does or that I disapprove of everything. No. There is dialogue and problems must be resolved. Right now there are problems,” the Pontiff said in response to a question from Ángeles Conde, a Spanish journalist for Rome Reports.
The Pope’s new statements on Nicaragua come almost a month after the request for “open and sincere” dialogue to “find the bases for a respectful and peaceful coexistence,” which he made during the Angelus prayer on August 21.
Francis lists grievances
Without directly specifying what kind of negotiations the Holy See and the Managua regime are holding, Francis mentioned two of the cases of religious persecution undertaken by the Ortega regime against the Church: The expulsions of the Sisters of Charity and of Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, former apostolic nuncio in Nicaragua.
“At least I hope that the nuns of Mother Teresa will return. These women are good revolutionaries, but from the Gospel! They do not make war on anyone. On the contrary, we all need these women. It is a gesture that is not understood… But let’s hope they come back”, insisted the Pontiff.
Regarding the former nuncio Sommertag, the Pope assured that his expulsion was something very serious at the diplomatic level.
“There are things that one does not understand. Putting a nuncio on the border is something very serious from a diplomatic point of view. The nuncio is a good guy who has now been appointed elsewhere. These things are difficult to understand and also to cope with,” the Pontiff stressed.
Dialogue must continue
The Pope lamented the existing problems between the Ortega regime and the Church, but at the same time reiterated the importance of dialogue to find a solution to the religious persecution that Nicaragua is experiencing.
“And that the dialogue can continue, (yes) it can continue. But never stop the dialogue”, exhorted the Pope.
The Pontiff assured that this type of situation is “difficult to understand and to cope with”.
“But in Latin America there are situations like this, both on one side and the other,” Francis said.
