The Nicaragua government has dramatically escalated its repression of the Catholic Church and civil society, with more than 870 church attacks reported since 2018. Under President Daniel Ortega, incidents against the Catholic church have included arson, harassment and the arrest of clergy. This crackdown reflects the Ortega regime’s broader strategy to silence dissenting voices, particularly Read more
At least 11 churchmen have been detained by police and paramilitaries over a weeklong assault in northern Nicaragua, depleting the already demoralised Diocese of Matagalpa — whose leader, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, lives in exile. Nine priests and a deacon were detained on Aug 1 and 2 — with some taken from parishes and parish residences Read more
Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was released from prison late on Monday, a diplomatic source said, marking a possible turning point in the government’s prolonged crackdown on the Catholic Church. The diplomatic source said on Tuesday that negotiations between the government and the country’s Catholic bishops were going on over Alvarez’s future, and the prelate Read more
A recent investigation by the Nicaraguan newspaper El Confidencial revealed that the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega has withheld more than half a million dollars that was donated to the Church in Estelí by the US bishops’ humanitarian aid agency Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The independent media reported on June 2 that according to sources with Read more
Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced on Feb 10 to 26 years and four months in prison, accused of being a “traitor to the homeland.” In recent days, authorities have not disclosed where he is being held. The prelate, who refused to be deported along with 222 other political prisoners sent to the Read more
A Nicaraguan Catholic bishop was sentenced to 26 years in prison and had his citizenship revoked by a court in the Central American country. The sentencing of Bishop Rolando Álvarez (pictured) occurred just a day after President Daniel Ortega criticised the bishop for refusing to leave the country with other political prisoners. Bishop Álvarez, of Read more
The government of Nicaragua has ordered the closure of seven Catholic radio stations linked to a bishop who has been critical of the country’s president, Daniel Ortega. Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who serves as the radio’s coordinator and leads the remote northern Matagalpa diocese, announced the closures on Monday. Álvarez said he had received a letter Read more