Pope Francis expressed to the angelus time this Sunday, August 21, his “concern and pain for the situation created in Nicaragua that involves people and institutions.” A statement that comes two days after Daniel Ortega’s regime kidnapped the Bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, in the midst of an escalation of repression against the Catholic Church and after he himself was criticized in the international community for the silence of the.
“I would like to express my conviction and hope that, through an open and sincere dialogue, the bases for respectful and peaceful coexistence can be found,” said the pontiff, who asked for the intercession of the Purisima to inspire such will.
The Pope, the first Latin American in the history of the Church, also referred to the “inhuman war” of which the Ukrainians are victims, after his biblical commentary in which he addressed the commitment of the Christian, a life with the love of measure of Christ, according to his words.
Read: Ortega shuffles the fate of Monsignor Álvarez: exile or house for jail
On Friday, August 19, in a operative At dawn, the Nicaraguan Police kidnapped Bishop Álvarez, one of the most critical voices of the Episcopal Conferenceand took him to Managua where they kept him locked up in his residence, with which, according to the official version, they tried to return life to “normal” for the people of Matagalpa.
Before this outcome, special anti-riot troops had held the bishop for 15 days before in the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa, investigating him for “organizing violent groups” and “fostering hatred”, which was rejected by ecclesial authorities such as the auxiliary bishop of Managua , Silvio Báez, currently in exile.
On the same day that Álvarez was kidnapped, the authorities sent his collaborators to the Judicial Assistance Directorate, the police prison known as El Chipote, denounced as a torture center. These are four priests, two seminarians and a cameraman from the Diocese’s communication team who were separated from the Bishop, while the regime accused the Diocese of continuing its “destabilizing” activities.
Also: What is at stake between the freedom or the exile of Bishop Álvarez
With his statement, the Pope meets the demand of a group of 26 former presidents who asked him to speak about the persecution against Nicaraguans and their religious freedom, among whom were the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oscar Arias, in addition to former presidents José María Aznar (Spain), Felipe Calderón (Mexico), Vicente Fox (Mexico), Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Laura Chinchilla (Costa Rica), Luis Guillermo Solís (Costa Rica), Sebastián Piñera (Chile) and others.
26 Former Heads of State of the group @IDEA_Group we call on Pope Francis about what is happening in #Nicaragua pic.twitter.com/Sf900A3hqo
– Andrés Pastrana A (@AndresPastrana_) August 17, 2022
The regime said Álvarez was able to meet with Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, archbishop of Managua. In a subsequent statement, the Catholic leader stated that Álvarez’s physical condition was deteriorating, but he was in strong spirits, while he ratified the support of the Bishops. The Episcopal Conference described what happened as a “deep wound”, while the ecclesial representations of more than eight countries they asked for the release of the religious, respect for his dignity and the cessation of the aggression.
+++ COMMUNICATION: His Eminence Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes, Metropolitan Archbishop of Managua and the Archdiocesan Clergy reiterate their solidarity and closeness with His Excellency Monsignor Rolando Álvarez and the sister diocese of Matagalpa.
Download in PDF: https://t.co/LQdv8cZXTq pic.twitter.com/cCuaJEtVjn
– Archdiocese of Managua (@arquimanagua) August 19, 2022
The persecution of the Ortega regime has intensified since last May on the basis of hate speech led by Vice President Rosario Murillo in a regime that describes priests and bishops as “coup plotters” or “devils in cassocks.”
The dictatorship has imprisoned three priests since last June: Father Manuel Salvador García in Nandaime, Monsignor Leonardo Urbina in Boaco and this month the priest Oscar Benavidez in Mulukukúthe latter former adviser to the youth ministry of Matagalpa.
The Institute of Telecommunications and Post Office (TELCOR) closed on August 1 to seven stations to the Diocese of Matagalpa In an attempt to silence his voice, the Police desecrated the Sébaco parish and kept the parish priest Uriel Vallejos under siege to later focus on a relentless persecution against Álvarez, carried out on the orders of Daniel Ortega and Murillo.
