![]() Policemen patrolled around the parishes and attended Masses dressed as civilians to monitor what was said during the homily, he recalled. Threats against him surfaced, he said, when he started referring during Mass to the difficult situation facing the church. He recalls his hometown as a humble place, where parishioners are deeply religious. “It is the one who cares for the poor, who always tells the truth and remains close to its people.” ![]() “The church in Nicaragua plays a very important role,” said the priest interviewed by The Associated Press in Costa Rica. Around 42% of the population is Catholic and 35% evangelical. Facing poverty, unemployment and repression, most Nicaraguans crave spiritual reassurance. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti, according to the World Bank. the Ortega regime went after the church,” said Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who has met with some of the exiled clergy and seminarians. “When the church seemingly was trying to be a voice for the voiceless. The priests recounted the emotional flight to the U.S., with former prisoners hugging one another and crying with both relief and the sorrow of leaving families behind who are still at risk should they speak publicly about their ordeals. They described how they had no inkling of their upcoming release until they were told suddenly to change from prison uniforms to their regular clothes and put on buses heading to the airport. 9 - after spending several months in a Nicaraguan prison - shared some of their experiences with Catholic faithful at a recent Mass in Miami. Two priests who were released and exiled on Feb. “If Monsignor were to die, his cause would continue to live because we will always remember him as a martyr,” Gaitán said. Reynald Gaitán, a former seminarian who met Álvarez in Matagalpa and currently studies theology in Costa Rica, believes that the bishop’s imprisonment could be problematic for Ortega. Commenting last month on Álvarez’s imprisonment, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes of Managua – Nicaragua’s capital – said, “Pray that the Lord gives him strength.” In Nicaragua, Catholic leaders’ response to the government’s repression has been muted, apparently in an attempt to not inflame tensions. 10, the day after Ortega released and sent to the U.S. Before his arrest last year, his image was seen around the world as he knelt in front of security forces after being barred from celebrating Mass inside his church and deciding to pray in the streets.Īn outspoken critic of the government, Álvarez was sentenced to 26 years in prison and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship on Feb. There are multiple accounts of masked men breaking into churches, theft or destruction of religious objects, and the prohibition of religious processions.ĬSW said parishioners are warned not to display holy symbols outside their homes, while detainees are denied visits from clergy and barred from keeping a Bible in prison.Īmong the remaining prisoners, the highest-profile Catholic cleric is Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa. ![]() The two organizations have gathered testimonies from dozens of people – some in exile and some still in Nicaragua – who have described harassment, threats, physical violence and arbitrary detention targeted at a range of religious workers. Yader Valdivia of Nicaragua Nunca Más said at least 50 evangelical churches have been shut down. Nicaragua Nunca Más and CSW, a British-based organization that advocates for religious freedom around the world, say Ortega’s government has targeted evangelical pastors, as well as Catholic personnel. After priests sheltered demonstrators inside their parishes and expressed concern about excessive use of force, Ortega targeted them as “terrorists” who backed opposition efforts to undermine or overthrow him. Ortega initially asked the Catholic Church to play a role as a mediator as political tensions rose over the past five years, but the first round of dialogue didn’t last long. “I miss my people, my nation,” he said, his voice breaking.
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