CV NEWS FEED // Though the Nicaraguan government recently released and exiled all previously imprisoned Catholic clergy, members of nonprofit organization Aid to the Church in Need International are worried about the state of the Church in Nicaragua moving forward.
ACN International Executive President Regina Lynch said that “concern remains over [the clerics’] expulsion from the country and the ongoing repression of religious freedom in Nicaragua.”
In 2022, Bishop Rolando Álvarez was arrested and sentenced to 26 years in prison for “treason” after criticizing the anti-Catholic regime of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega. On January 14 the Nicaraguan government announced that Álvarez and the other clergy had been released and exiled to Rome, after extensive negotiations with the Vatican.
“It is good news that Bishop Rolando Alvarez is no longer in prison, although it must not be forgotten that he languished there for 16 months,” Lynch stated in an emailed press release.
“ACN also rejoices in the release of the remaining bishop, 15 priests, and two seminarians,” Lynch continued. “They were in prison for a shorter period, but we must highlight how tremendously unjust it is that they have been forced to live apart from their flocks and their families. The uncertainty and the fear in the community are also great.”
The group of clerics is not the first to be exiled from Nicaragua—in October 2023, 12 priests were sent to the Vatican after their release from prison. Additionally, Nicaragua exiled over 200 political prisoners to the U.S. in February 2023.
ACN reported that the dwindling number of clerics in Nicaragua due to exile is creating “pastoral and administrative difficulties in some dioceses.” According to Lynch, four of Nicaragua’s nine dioceses are headed by bishops currently in exile.
According to ACN, the government has also exiled missionaries, including the Sisters of Charity.
“Religious freedom is a cornerstone of liberty, and autocratic regimes always fear the witness and voice of those whose lives are dedicated to living and spreading the Gospel of love,” Lynch stated. “We pray that the Church and the people of Nicaragua will one day be free to speak their minds and to practice their faith without fear of repercussions.”
