Pope Francis at Mass this Monday in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.| Photo: EFE/EPA/ANSA/ Giuseppe Lami
Pope Francis expressed this Monday (1st) his concern about the arrest of Catholic priests by the dictator of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, and called for “always seeking the path of dialogue” to overcome the problems.
“I am following with concern everything that is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom. I convey my closeness in prayer to them, their families and the entire Church in the country,” the pope said from the window of the Apostolic Palace after reciting the first Angelus prayer of the year.
Francis, the first Latin American pontiff in history, appealed to the faithful who listened to him in St. Peter's Square and the Vatican and to all of God's people to urgent prayer for the problems in the country. “We pray for Nicaragua today,” he concluded.
The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and the Catholic Church are experiencing moments of great tension, marked by the expulsion and arrest of priests, the ban on religious activities and the suspension of their diplomatic relations.
Since December 20, Nicaraguan police have arrested a bishop, 13 priests and two seminarians, according to human rights defenders and opposition leaders in exile.
Neither the government nor the Nicaraguan police confirm or deny the alleged imprisonment of these 16 religious who join Dom Rolando Álvarez, who was sentenced on February 10 to 26 years and four months in prison, losing his nationality and his rights as citizens for the alleged crime of high treason.
Last August, Ortega ordered the dissolution of the Society of Jesus in the country, of which Pope Francis himself is a member, and also expropriated all of its assets.
Months earlier, following the sentencing of Monsignor Álvarez, the Pope had criticized Ortega's regime, calling it a “crude dictatorship.”
On October 18, the Nicaraguan government released twelve priests and sent them to the Vatican following an agreement with the Holy See, although Monsignor Álvarez, who refuses to leave the country, was not among them.
Nicaragua has been in crisis since April 2018, which worsened after the November 2021 elections, in which Ortega was reelected as vice president for the fifth time, for the fourth time in a row, and for the second time with his wife Rosario Murillo candidates in prison or in exile.
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