Nicaragua releases and expels 19 clerics

Nineteen clerics were released and expelled from Nicaragua, adding to the dozens who have been exiled in recent years. Restrictions on religious freedom continue in a country where four out of nine dioceses now have bishops living abroad, said Regina Lynch, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) celebrates the release of 19 clerics who were imprisoned in Nicaragua for speaking out against injustices and human rights violations, and trying to operate freely. But concern remains over their expulsion from the country and the ongoing repression of religious freedom in Nicaragua.

The release was announced in an official statement by the Nicaraguan government, accompanied by a list of names of the released and exiled: two bishops, 15 priests, and two seminarians. The group was released on January 14th and arrived in Rome on the same day, except for one cleric, who is in Venezuela due to health issues.

Those released include the bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Alvarez, who was arrested in August of 2022 and refused to be exiled in the United States after he was sentenced to 26 years in prison. The other bishop, Isidoro de Carmen Mora Ortega, heads the Diocese of Siuna and was arrested for mentioning Bishop Alvarez in a homily.

Lynch, the executive president of Aid to the Church in Need, cautiously welcomed the release of the clerics, but expressed concern over religious freedom in Nicaragua: “It is good news that Bishop Rolando Alvarez is no longer in prison, although it must not be forgotten that he languished there for 16 months. We hope that he will be able to receive the needed support to recover after the long period of detainment. ACN also rejoices in the release of the remaining bishop, 15 priests, and two seminarians. They were in prison for a shorter period, but we must highlight how tremendously unjust it is that they have been forced to live apart from their flocks and their families. The uncertainty and the fear in the community are also great.”

The mass release and exile of clerics fit a pattern of the regime, as it targets the Church and its members. In October 2023, 12 priests were released from prison and sent to the Vatican; another group had already been part of a mass exile to the United States in February 2023.

International pressure, from both the media and politicians (from Washington to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), has intensified in recent weeks, in a context of repression that has few precedents in Latin America.

The Vatican has not issued a statement. Its official media outlet, Vatican News, announced the release, but their tone contrasts starkly with the optimism of the Nicaraguan government about their relationship between the Holy See.

A diminishing clergy

This forced exile adds to the growing list of clerics who have had to leave the country since the regime began its increased oppression against the Church, which included the expulsion of Apostolic Nuncio Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag in March 2022.

The absence of priests has already caused pastoral and administrative difficulties in some dioceses. “Three of Nicaragua’s dioceses are now headed by bishops who are in exile, namely Matagalpa and Esteli – which are both headed by Alvarez – and Siuna. Previously, in 2019, the auxiliary Bishop of Managua, Silvio Báez Ortega, went into exile because of increased security concerns. Another diocese has a bishop over the age of retirement, and the archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, will be 75 in March,” Lynch reports.

Since 2022, 50 priests have been arrested at some point. According to some estimates, around 15 percent of the country’s clergy now live abroad. Some have exiled themselves for fear of arrest; some were deported by the regime; and still others were denied re-entry to the country after traveling abroad. The government has also deported foreign missionaries, such as the Sisters of Charity, the order founded by Saint Mother Theresa, which is dedicated to caring for the most destitute.

“Religious freedom is a cornerstone of liberty, and autocratic regimes always fear the witness and voice of those whose lives are dedicated to living and spreading the Gospel of love. The restrictions on religious freedom continue in a country where four out of nine dioceses now have bishops living abroad. We pray that the Church and the people of Nicaragua will one day be free to speak their minds and to practice their faith without fear of repercussions,” Lynch concluded.

—Filipe d’Avillez & Maria Lozano