Nicaragua: Church to mediate talks between government and opposition

Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes

Source: Fides/VEC

On February 27, dialogue between the government and representatives of the opposition will resume in Nicaragua. Representatives of the Episcopal Conference will sit at the negotiating table, as witnesses and mediators alongside representatives of the government and a delegation from civil society.

A private meeting in the Vatican between Pope Francis and Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, Archbishop of Managua, chairman of the NicaraguanBishops Conference will also take place. The Cardinal has been keeping Pope Francis updated about the situation in his country. In January, the entire Bishops Conference of Nicaragua met the Pope at the World Youth Day in Panama.

A few days ago the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Stanislaw Sommertag, together with Cardinal Brenes, took part in a meeting of government representatives with the country's entrepreneurs, and focused on the current crisis. The final statement says: "The open exchange of views confirmed the need for inclusive, serious and open negotiations."

While the names of those sitting at the negotiating table are not yet fully known, it could include the Apostolic Nuncio, who however told the local press a few days ago that if he was formally invited, he will need authorisation of the Holy See: "In view of this special opportunity we must promote a favourable climate so that the results of this process can be positive." he said.