Twelve priests critical of the Nicaraguan government, prosecuted on various charges, were released from prison and sent to Rome following an agreement with the Vatican, the Holy See announced on Thursday, confirming information from Managua.

In the group, which arrived in Rome on Thursday, Bishop Rolando Álvarez, one of the most critical voices of Nicaragua’s Catholic Church, does not appear against the government of Daniel Ortega and who prefers prison to exile.

“I can confirm that the Holy See has been asked to receive twelve priests from Nicaragua, who have recently been released from prison,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told reporters in Rome.

In this regard, the exiled auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Silvio José Báez Ortega, said on Thursday that his country’s authorities, whom he did not name, “would like to see the Church locked up,” and that was why they imprisoned the clergy and exiled, referring to the twelve priests released from prison and sent to the Vatican the day before.

“The powers of the world fear the prophets. They would like to see the church locked up. That is why they imprison and banish the prophets,” the influential bishop, who has been out of Nicaragua for four years by Pope Francis’ decree, wrote on his social networking account X (formerly Twitter) for security reasons.

On February 15, the leader became the second member of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua to be stripped of his nationality by his country’s judicial authorities and now resides in the United States.

For his part, exiled Nicaraguan priest Edwing Román said that with the banishment of twelve new priests, by the government chaired by Daniel Ortega, they want to “implant the ‘peace’ of the snout.”

“Those who think that the prophetic voice of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua will remain silent are wrong: that voice will continue to proclaim the kingdom of God and denounce the oppressors, even if we are banished or exiled,” he indicated in a message. on X.

Nicaraguan vice president and wife of Ortega, Rosario Murillo, told official media on Thursday that the agreement was the result of “positive, fruitful, constructive conversations” with the Church.

Although the government did not specify the charges for which the 12 priests were prosecuted, opposition media said at least two were in prison after being convicted of common crimes in contested trials in 2022, and that others were in police cells or had been arrested. for the prison” in the church building.

“We have to talk”

The Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, viewed the release of the priests as “positive” news and underlined the Vatican’s role in promoting dialogue.

The cardinal said he did not know why Bishop Álvarez was not present.

Relations between the Church and the government deteriorated during strong protests against Ortega in 2018, which lasted at least three months with roadblocks and clashes between opponents and pro-government supporters, leaving more than 300 dead, according to the UN.

The government viewed the protests as an attempted coup promoted by Washington, while the United States, the European Union and other countries, as well as international organizations, accused it of suppressing opposition.

Several religious have been ordered to leave the country or have been accused in court, such as Álvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa, who was sentenced on February 10 to 26 years and four months on charges including spreading false news and contempt.

A day earlier, the bishop had refused to go to the United States, along with 222 imprisoned opponents who had been deported. He was forever deprived of his Nicaraguan nationality and his civil rights, and was labeled a ‘traitor to the country’.

In July, he was released from prison for a few hours but was returned to prison after again refusing to leave the country, a diplomatic source in Managua told AFP at the time.

Tensions with the Vatican

Álvarez’s case is one of the issues causing tension between the Ortega government and the Catholic Church. Managua’s diplomatic relations with the Vatican are on the verge of breakdown.

Pope Francis in March called Ortega’s government a “rude dictatorship” and the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry insisted that “a suspension of diplomatic relations” with the Holy See was being proposed.

Marcel Diouf, the Vatican’s chargé d’affaires in Nicaragua, left the country on March 17. Last year, Ortega expelled Nuncio Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag from the country.

In August, Nicaragua canceled the legal personality of the Society of Jesus and seized Managua’s Jesuit University over ‘terrorism’ allegationsas well as a residence for priests adjacent to the campus.

The United States and the European Union maintain sanctions against the Nicaraguan government over its actions against opponents. (JO)