Nicaragua: Bishops, priests and seminarians freed from prison

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral, León. Photo by Intricate Explorer on Unsplash

Source: Vatican News, ICN

The Nicaraguan government has confirmed the release of the Bishop of Matagalpa, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, detained since 2022, together with the Bishop of Siuna, Bishop Isidoro del Carmen Mora Ortega, two seminarians, and 15 other priests.

Government officials in Managua confirmed the news, first reported by local media. All arrived in Rome on Sunday afternoon, with the exception of one who remained in Venezuela. They are now guests of the Holy See.

Bishop Álvarez of Matagalpa and the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Estelí, sentenced to 26 years in prison, had been in prison since February last year after being under house arrest since August 2022. Bishop Mora was arrested in December.

At the Angelus at the beginning of the year, Pope Francis spoke of the situation of bishops and priests "deprived of their freedom" in the Central American country. He assured everyone of his "closeness in prayer" and invited God's people to pray for Nicaragua, expressing his hopes "that the path of dialogue will always be sought to overcome difficulties."

In October, 12 Nicaraguan priests were released from prison. The Holy See then accepted the request to receive them, welcoming them to Rome and providing housing.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez and most of the other clergy were jailed more than a year ago as part of a crackdown on the Catholic church and NGOs by President Daniel Ortega. He accused the church of supporting massive civic protests in 2018 that he claimed were a plot to overthrow him. Bishop Álvarez received a 26-year prison sentence.

In February Ortega sent 222 prisoners to the USA and later stripped them of their nationality.

Last year, Nicaragua's Congress confiscated the Jesuit-run University of Central America, and ordered the closure of more than 3,000 nongovernmental organizations, including Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity.

A spokesperson for Aid to the Church in Need (UK) said: "It's a huge relief and an answer to prayer that the bishops, priests and seminarians from Nicaragua are now free. We at ACN have been deeply concerned for these clergy and it is reassuring to know that they are receiving the care and support they need after their period of detention."