– The Archdiocese of Mexico expressed this Sunday its solidarity with the Nicaraguan church for the harassment and repression of those who have been victims of Nicaraguan priests by the Government of Daniel Ortega.
“As the Primate Archdiocese of Mexico, we join CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council) and other international organizations to express our solidarity and closeness with the Church of Nicaragua, because what our Nicaraguan brothers and sisters are experiencing deeply hurts us,” the organization said in its Sunday editorial From Faith.
The Mexican Church lamented that so far there have been “no signs of a fruitful dialogue that brings peace and an end to the harassment.”
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Historically cracked, relations between the Catholic Church and the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega recently worsened due to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Father Manuel Salvador García Rodríguez for alleged violence against a woman.
Also for the capture of the priest Leonardo Urbina for alleged abuse of a minor, as well as the siege of the priest Uriel Vallejos and Bishop Rolando Álvarez.
“This was the last episode of the Sandinista government’s harassment of our sister Nicaraguan Church, a historical persecution that reminds us of the eighties of the last century,” said the Mexican Archdiocese.
He pointed out that since 2018, when the Church of Nicaragua supported the social protests that demanded the resignation of Ortega, the persecution has worsened, which has led to calling for fasting, constant prayer and the participation of more faithful in the Eucharistic celebrations. to demand an end to the repression.
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“However, this has increased the anger of President Ortega, who this week has gone so far as to prevent Bishop Álvarez from going to his cathedral to celebrate Holy Mass and Holy Hour.”
Nicaragua is mired in a crisis that, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), left at least 355 dead in 2018, of which Ortega admitted 200 and alleged that he was defending himself from an alleged coup.
The crisis worsened with the elections last November, when Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, were re-elected to their positions, in a process criticized because seven of his potential rivals were arrested and two fled into exile.
With 58.5% of believers, the Catholic Church is the religion with the most followers in Nicaragua, according to the latest national census.
