Two years ago today, as part of an ongoing effort to silence voices of dissent in Nicaragua, the government placed Bishop Rolando Alvarez under house arrest, charging him with “crimes against spirituality.”
Since then, Bishop Alvarez has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, where he remained for 11 months in unsanitary conditions, deprived of natural light and isolated from the outer world. In January of this year, along with Bishop Isidoro Mora of the Diocese of Siuna, and 18 priests and deacons, he was forced into exile.
Persecution has increased once again in recent days. Vatican News reports that Father Jarvin Tórrez, the rector of San Luis Gonzaga Major Seminary of Philosophy and parish priest of Santa María de Guadalupe church, was taken to prison on August 5th. According to parishioners quoted by the independent national daily “La Prensa,” Lesbia Rayo Balmaceda, a lay collaborator of a different parish church, was also detained.
This past weekend, as the Church was preparing to celebrate the feast of St John Marie Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, on August 4th, the government of Nicaragua once again tried to sow fear among our brothers and sisters in the faith, taking 11 members of the clergy, including priests, deacons, and friars. It is unclear where they are being kept or under what charges. No official statement was made after the police raided several parishes.
Most of those arrested belong to the Diocese of Matagalpa, further demoralizing the diocese.
Monsignor Ulises René Vega, Monsignor Edgar Sacasa, Father Jairo Pravia, Father Víctor Godoy, Father Marlon Velasquez, Deacon Ervin Aguirre, Friar Silvio José Romero, Friar Ramón Morras, and Fathers Antonio López, Raúl Francisco Villegas, and Salvador de las Calabazas were detained between Friday and Saturday.
The most recent series of arrests began on July 27th with the detention of nearly 80-year-old priest Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón, administrator ad omnia of the Diocese of Estelí. On August 1st, two more priests were detained during the religious festival of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
So far, the Nicaraguan government has not issued official statements or explanation regarding these detentions. President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo have been hostile to the local clergy, with the VP labeling priests and bishops as “sons of the devil” and “agents of evil.”
In these challenging times, it is crucial for us to unite in prayer for the Church in Nicaragua. Let us pray for the safety and strength of the priests, deacons, and all members of the clergy who are courageously upholding their faith amidst persecution. Our prayers can offer them solace and support, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggle.
Pray for the Church in Nicaragua with a Novena to the Immaculate Conception
