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 those within the Church, which has been one of the government's most outspoken critics.

In August 2024, the Nicaraguan government took further steps to dismantle civil society by revoking the legal status of 1,500 non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

There are 678 Catholic and evangelical NGOs in the group that have been closed, including the diocesan Caritas of Matagalpa, a Catholic charity known for its extensive humanitarian work.

The government justified this move by claiming that these NGOs failed to meet financial reporting requirements. However, critics argue this is part of a systematic effort to eliminate opposition.

The assets of these shuttered organisations have been transferred to the state, raising concerns about the government's increasing control over civil society.

Clergy forced to leave

The Catholic Church, particularly in the Diocese of Matagalpa, has been a primary target of the Ortega regime.

In early August, two more priests were exiled from the country, joining a growing list of clergy forced to leave Nicaragua under duress.

The exiled priests had been under house arrest before their expulsion, part of a broader crackdown that has seen religious leaders detained, held incommunicado and forced into exile.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez is among those exiled. Álvarez is a prominent critic of Ortega and was sentenced to 26 years in prison before being forced to leave Nicaragua in February 2023.

The regime's actions, including the church attacks, have drawn sharp criticism from the international community, with human rights organisations and religious freedom advocates calling for increased pressure on Nicaragua. There have been calls for targeted sanctions against Nicaraguan officials responsible for these human rights violations.

The Vatican, which has seen its diplomatic relations with Nicaragua deteriorate sharply, has also condemned the ongoing persecution of the Church. Closing the Vatican's nunciature in Managua in March 2023 marked a low point in relations between the Holy See and the Ortega regime.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Vatican News

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

The churchmen were moved Oct 15 to El Chipote prison on the outskirts of the nation's capital, Managua, after being held under house arrest in the National Seminary of Our Lady of Fatima, according to sources speaking with independent Nicaraguan news organisation La Prensa.

Six of the priests had been abducted by police and paramilitaries from their parishes and parish residences between Oct 1 and Oct 9 in the dioceses of Estelí, Jinotega and Bluefields.

Two other churchmen from the Diocese of Estelí, being held in the seminary, also were moved to El Chipote, according to La Prensa.

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The Central American University (UCA) announced on Wednesday that all classes and administrative activities were suspended after a criminal court ruled its property and financial accounts were being transferred to the government.

The Society of Jesus, the Jesuit order that runs the school, told reporters that the government had accused the university of being "a centre of terrorism organised by criminal groups".

In the wake of the announcement, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement condemning the university's confiscation.

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Members of the Sandinista police "like criminals broke into the house of the Sisters of the Fraternity of the Poor Ones of Jesus Christ at midnight yesterday; they were going to leave the country soon," tweeted Martha Patrica Molina on July 2.

Molina is a Nicaraguan lawyer and researcher who authored the report "Nicaragua: a Persecuted Church?" which details over 500 attacks against the Church by the regime.

The Nicaraguan media outlet Article 66 reported that the Ministry of the Interior took the measure on July 4 and that the sisters were going to leave Nicaragua next week since the authorities had not renewed their residency permit.

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The survey commissioned by the Nicaraguan media outlet Confidencial showed that 48% of respondents consider the Catholic Church to be the most credible institution in the country. The Ortega dictatorship has a credibility of 26%. The survey showed that 61% disapproved of the Ortega regime, 29% approved, and 10% didn't know or did not respond.

The survey also revealed that 56% responded that corruption has increased in the past six months, while 23% believe it is unchanged and 13% that it has decreased.

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According to ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish language news partner, Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa in Managua, was released on Monday but returned to custody Wednesday, July 5 after he refused to comply with the Ortega regime's demand that he go into exile.

Following reports from Nicaraguan media and human rights activists that he was released from "Modelo Prison" on Monday night, Álvarez, an outspoken critic of the communist Ortega dictatorship, has been returned to captivity.

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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 was at the Catholic episcopal compound in the capital.

The source, who declined to be identified, added that talks included the possibility that the bishop might be expelled from the Central American country or otherwise sent into exile.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday's release of Alvarez after normal business hours.

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The independent media reported on June 2 that according to sources with ties to the diocese, the donation of $563,206 was legally made on June 14, 2012, to Estelí Caritas when Abelardo Mata was diocesan bishop.

The charity, whose legal personhood was cancelled by the National Assembly on Feb 7, 2022, agreed to a "total donation" of the money to the Diocese of Estelí, whose apostolic administrator is Bishop Rolando Álvarez.

The prelate was unjustly sentenced in February to 26 years and four months in prison, charged with treason by the regime.

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"Yesterday, March 17, the chargé d'affaires of the apostolic nunciature in Nicaragua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, left the country for Costa Rica. The closure of the diplomatic headquarters of the Holy See occurred as a result of a request from the Nicaraguan government on March 10, 2023," Vatican News reported.

The Vatican news outlet indicated that "by virtue of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, custody of the apostolic nunciature and its assets was entrusted to the Italian Republic."

"Before his departure, Diouf was greeted by diplomatic representatives accredited in Nicaragua from the European Union, Germany, France, and Italy," it said.

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The prelate, who refused to be deported along with 222 other political prisoners sent to the United States in a deal with the US State Department on Feb 9, is supposedly in a maximum security cell in the "La Modelo" prison.

However, his actual whereabouts are unclear.

"The physical and mental health conditions of Bishop Rolando Álvarez are unknown," Nicaraguan lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina told ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, in a March 7 statement.

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The move escalates his crackdown on the country's Catholic Church and political opponents.

The Nicaraguan government has prohibited the processions from being held in public venues, with the ritual to be conducted only inside churches on Good Friday and during Lent.

The ban is the latest in a series of moves against the Nicaraguan Church.

Tensions between the Sandinista regime and the Catholic Church have escalated.

Ortega accuses the Catholic hierarchy of supporting former dictator Somoza and accusing the Church of committing "grave crimes and horrors".

In his speech, Ortega also accused the Vatican of being a "mafia organisation."

He suggested that the people should elect priests and bishops, and even the Pope, rather than having them appointed by the Vatican.

The ban on public processions has sparked outrage among the Nicaraguan Catholic community, who view the Way of the Cross as an essential expression of their faith and a symbol of their resistance to the regime.

Many have taken to social media to voice their opposition to the ban, with some calling it a violation of their religious freedom.

The ban has also drawn criticism from international human rights organisations and other countries, with the US government expressing concern about the situation in Nicaragua and calling for the release of political prisoners.

The Nicaraguan Church has been a vocal critic of Ortega's regime, calling for free and fair elections and denouncing the government's human rights abuses.

The government, in turn, has accused the Church of supporting opposition groups and fomenting unrest.

The ban on public processions is just the latest example of the government's efforts to silence the Church and opposition groups.

How the Nicaraguan people will respond to this latest provocation remains to be seen.

Sources

Vatican News

CathNews New Zealand

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 the central city of Matagalpa, had been under house arrest and was set to go on trial next week. However, he was taken to prison after he refused to board a plane to the US with 222 other political prisoners. The Biden administration agreed to receive the released prisoners.

The bishop, an outspoken critic of Ortega, had called for electoral reforms and free democratic elections in Nicaragua. Ortega referred to the bishop as "out of his mind" and arrogant in a speech. Ortega also claimed Álvarez had refused to obey the state's decisions.

The sentence is the longest given to any of Ortega's opponents since the 2021 presidential election.

Ortega, a former Marxist guerrilla leader, has been in power since 2007 and controls Nicaragua's electoral authority, National Assembly, Supreme Court and all of the country's municipalities.

Relations between the Catholic church, a powerful institution in Nicaragua, and the Ortega government have deteriorated since the 2018 protests in which over 300 people were killed, mostly by government security forces.

Pope Francis concerned

Pope Francis on Sunday spoke of his concern over the imprisonment of Bishop Álvarez in his weekly blessing to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square. "The news from Nicaragua has grieved me not a little and I cannot help but remember with concern the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, whom I love so much and who has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, and also the people who have been taken to the United States," Pope Francis said.

The Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights called the verdict the "reaffirmation of the total destruction of the rule of law in Nicaragua." It warned that the bishop's life and security were in danger.

The US State Department condemned the stripping of the bishop's citizenship and called for his release, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised the importance of constructive dialogue with Nicaragua.

Sources

The Wall Street Journal

US News

CathNews New Zealand

In a fiery address, Ortega took aim at Nicaragua's Catholic bishops for promoting democracy as an exit from the country's political crisis, alleging without proof that they called on protesters to kill him during the 2018 protests — which his regime violently repressed.

He called the bishops and Pope Francis "the perfect dictatorship," then asked, accusatorially, "Who elected the bishops, the pope, the cardinals?"

He continued in the 28 September speech marking the 43rd anniversary of the National Police: "With what moral authority do they speak of democracy? Let them start with the Catholic vote. … Everything is imposed. It's a dictatorship, the perfect dictatorship. It's a tyranny, the perfect tyranny."

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Despite requests from several journalists, the Vatican has kept silent on the detainment of Matagalpa's bishop.

Álvarez is known for criticising President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

The bishop had been prevented from leaving the diocesan office for 16 days along with 11 others as police maintained a constant presence outside.

Early on Friday, at least eight patrol cars were deployed to move the bishop to Nicaragua's capital, where he was placed under arrest in his family home.

Those who had been with Álvarez were taken to the infamous detention facility El Chipote, where some 190 political prisoners are being held. Several who have survived El Chipote describe it as a torture centre.

Nicaragua's National Police later confirmed that they carried out "an operation which permitted the recuperation of normalcy for Matagalpa's citizens and families.

"As destabilising and provocative activities persisted, the aforementioned public order operation was necessary," the police statement said.

To date, the only Vatican official who has spoken about the bishop's imprisonment is Mexican layman Rodrigo Guerra. He heads the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Speaking with Aleteia, Guerra said that Pope Francis "is well aware of all the events taking place in Nicaragua".

In recent years, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has treated the Catholic Church as a political enemy. He has arrested priests, expelled the Missionaries of Charity and apostolic nuncio and closed Catholic media outlets, and educational and charitable projects.

In a statement to ACI Prensa, Nicaraguan lawyer Martha Patricia Molina Montenegro, a member of the Pro-Transparency and Anti-Corruption Observatory, said that the Ortega dictatorship "is capable of anything" and "will always generate as much damage as possible".

Still, Montenegro has reason to hope while events unfold.

"I can assure you that this arbitrariness and attacks on the Church have united us more as Christians," she said, noting that "yesterday we were more than 3,500 families praying the Holy Rosary in the company of Bishop Rolando, through social media and thousands more who connected from other places."

"We are strengthened with that peace and tranquility that only the Holy Spirit provides," she continued.

"There is no human power that can put an end to this nefarious and criminal dictatorship. Victory will be given by the Lord."

Sources

CruxNow

UCA News

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

Jagger is among the thousands of Nicaraguan Catholics in constant vigil for detained Bishop José Álvarez who has been under house arrest in northern Nicaragua with 11 companions since 4 August.

"I feel a great deal of worry and helplessness. I don't know how else to support Bishop Álvarez other than to use my voice, to join in prayer (for his liberation). He has been kidnapped," she said in a 12 August interview with Catholic News Service from London. "He is a hostage of a government that has committed crimes against humanity."

In a statement earlier this week, Jagger said she was "deeply saddened and concerned … by the silence of the Holy Father".

Jagger, who heads a human rights foundation bearing her name, has long used her global recognition to defend the afflicted, particularly in Latin America.

The rights of women and girls and the environment are at the forefront of her UK-based Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation. However, she often has spoken against the spiralling situation involving her native country, the repression of the populace, the fraudulent elections and now the attacks against the Catholic Church to which she belongs.

It harkens memories of darker times in the region.

"The assassination of Monseñor Romero," as Salvadoran St Oscar Romero is popularly known in Latin America, "had a great impact in my life" said Jagger.

St Oscar Romero spoke against the killing of innocent civilians and socioeconomic injustices perpetrated against the poorest sectors of the Salvadoran populace in neighbouring El Salvador. In 1980 he was fatally shot in a chapel as he celebrated Mass, a day after calling for a stop to government repression.

Modern-day Nicaragua in many ways mirrors that past, as priests, bishops and women and men religious have been attacked and harassed. Some have been expelled by the government of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, his wife.

When asked by Crux about Pope Francis' silence, Jagger stated, "I am deeply saddened and concerned, surprised, by the silence of the Holy Father".

Jagger has publicly appealed to Pope Francis to address the unfolding situation in Nicaragua.

"I am appealing to him not to order Bishop Rolando Alvarez to leave the country," she said, urging that "Getting rid of all the bishops and priests who stand up, who have the courage to stand up, is not the answer. The answer is to intercede, and speak up against the man who has declared a war against the Catholic Church."

Sources

Catholic News

Catholic News Agency

CathNews New Zealand

In response, the archdiocese called for the country's faithful to spend Friday praying and fasting and attend Mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua (pictured) on Saturday.

The banned procession was to be a closing ceremony for the country's Marian Congress. It was also a send-off for the Portuguese statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The move came just a week after the Ortega government took seven Catholic radio stations off the air.

The stations were led by Bishop Rolando Alvarez, head of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Esteli. He is an outspoken Ortega critic.

Alvarez is the subject of an investigation for alleged conspiracy. He has been trapped in the diocese's episcopal palace, surrounded by police, for two weeks.

Relations between the Catholic Church and the Nicaraguan government have been tense since the Church tried to serve as a mediator in 2018 after an Ortega-backed social security proposal sparked nationwide protests.

The bishop has criticised the government for its repression of the populace. In turn, the government has accused the bishop of "organising violent groups" and encouraging them "to carry out acts of hate against the population".

In his homily for the August 11 Mass celebrated in the chancery chapel, Bishop Álvarez recalled that Christ taught that one must not harbour resentment. But you must always forgive, defeating "evil with the force and power of good".

"We are here, gathered together and under detention, already on the eighth day that we are spending today," he said at the beginning of the Eucharist. "Our eleven lives are in the hands of the Lord."

Álvarez assured that "painful experiences do not happen in vain; they don't fall into a void. These experiences are offered to the Lord, and God returns them in blessings for us".

The prelate said that when you want to harm another person, that "means the devil has managed to penetrate your heart and has managed to enter, infecting your heart. You shouldn't allow that."

"Evil is defeated by the power of good. Good is always more powerful. Good is eternally powerful. Evil is tremendously limited, even though it makes more noise," he noted.

The bishop of Matagalpa encouraged Nicaraguans not to fall into despair since "that's another temptation we face, because a people without hope is a self-entombed people".

Instead, he invited the faithful to be "inundated with the hope" of Christ who defeated death.

"Don't have the slightest doubt that the Lord is blessing you, because he is daily accepting our offering for you. And keep offering your prayers and supplications for us," he encouraged.

Sources

Reuters

Catholic News

Catholic News Agency

CathNews NZ