Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and banished to the Vatican by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, celebrated his first mass on December 18 in Seville, Spain, in which the religious took the opportunity to ask for prayers from all Catholics for Nicaragua. The Eucharist was broadcast live on the digital medium Despacho 505.
The priest celebrated mass in honor of the 100 years of canonical foundation of the Diocese of Matagalpa. “In honor of our Lady of Sorrows, in the memory of our Lady of Hope and I must also say that on the eve of the 100 years of canonical foundation of my beloved Diocese of Matagalpa, we pray for our beloved Nicaragua,” said Álvarez .
Related news: Homily officiated by Monsignor Rolando Álvarez “inspires hope” in the people of Nicaragua
The religious leader, banished from Nicaragua since January 14, 2024, officiated at the Eucharist in the Nuestra Señora de las Huertas parish, in Seville. He also made reference to the pastoral letter sent a few weeks ago by Pope Francis to the Catholic faithful in Nicaragua. “In the most difficult moments, where it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called to not doubt his care and mercy,” the bishop noted.
During his speech, Álvarez thanked the bishop of Seville, José Ángel Saiz, and the Spanish people for having opened the doors to him, his priests, seminarians and thousands of Nicaraguans fleeing the Ortega and Murillo regime. At the same time, he asked that the Catholic people of Seville maintain their prayers for him and his country.
The released and exiled politician Manuel Obando, former head of the media of the Diocese of Matagalpa, stated that seeing Monsignor Rolando Álvarez officiate said homily represented for the Catholic faithful, especially for the people of Matagalpa, “a joy, a great consolation.” and hope of God for us.
«We had not seen him celebrating mass since August 2022; Two years and four months have passed, and then we see our bishop of Matagalpa celebrate the Eucharist in a special place, before the Virgin of Sorrows, who suffered for her son on the Cross, unjustly condemned,” said Obando.
Obando maintained that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez’s act “has had a lot of meaning, and I have received messages from people who were happy to see him with his liturgical vestments. “This has meant hope and joy, and it comes in a special context: tomorrow marks the 100th anniversary of the Diocese of Matagalpa.”
Related news: Monsignor Rolando Álvarez reappears in Spain and asks for prayers for Nicaragua
The lawyer Martha Patricia Molina highlighted, in an interview with Article 66, that the words of Bishop Álvarez, in his first public appearance, “demonstrate that he prays and thinks daily about his Diocese of Matagalpa.”
He pointed out that the Diocese of Matagalpa has been one of the most “impacted by the persecution of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship, but, despite all the attacks, the pastoral and evangelizing mission is still present in each of the parishes of that diocese.” .
Journalist Israel González Espinoza, specialized in socio-religious coverage, said that Monsignor Rolando Álvarez “has continued working as a pastor in the communities where he is needed” and that from the Catholic Church of Nicaragua “there is an important commitment, which is continue evangelizing, bringing the word of God even in the midst of the religious persecution experienced by the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
Dictator Daniel Ortega ordered his political operators used as deputies in the National Assembly to approve the last reform of the year to the General Budget of the Republic (PGR) for 2024 and reduced billions of córdobas to care institutions such as health, education, housing , and others that did not execute the amounts assigned for the year and those millions were reallocated to the Army, the Police, the Ministry of the Interior, the Presidency and in the so-called “unforeseen expenses”, among other institutions who received smaller amounts.
Article 2 of the budget modification approved by the Ortega legislature increases this year’s General Expenditure Budget by an amount of C$7,633,796,013.00 (seven thousand six hundred thirty-three million seven hundred ninety-six thousand thirteen), of which C$5,615, million were reallocated to other institutions for current expenses and C$2,018 million for capital expenses.
Among the affected institutions are public social assistance entities such as the Ministry of Education (Mined), which was stripped of C$31.9 million. They took C$1,015.7 million from the Ministry of Health (Minsa); The Supreme Court of Justice is reduced by C$19.7 million.
