Nicaragua: Crackdown on Catholic Church spreads fear among the faithful, there and in exile
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, reports on the ongoing impact of President Daniel Ortega’s crackdown on churches in Nicaragua…
Essay: Nicaragua released imprisoned priests, but repression is unlikely to relent – and the Catholic Church remains a target
In an article first published on The Conversation, KAI M THALER looks at recent events in Nicaragua against the backdrop of a years-long, wide-ranging crackdown on Catholic church clergy and groups…
Nicaragua expels Catholic Bishop Alvarez, priests amid crackdown
San Jose, Costa Rica Reuters Nicaragua said it expelled 19 clergymen to the Vatican on Sunday, including Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a prominent critic of President Daniel Ortega. Bishop Isidoro Mora, 15 priests and two seminarians who were detained in Nicaragua were also expelled. Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and a critic […]
Arrests of Catholic priests in Nicaragua tick up as dragnet intensifies
San JoseReuters Nicaraguan police on Friday arrested two more Catholic priests, bringing the number of clergymen detained this week to at least eight, according to two sources close to the church and opposition groups in exile. The sources, who declined to be named for fear of arrest, said the two priests were taken into custody […]
Nicaragua: Catholic clergy report surveillance, beatings amid crackdown
DAVID ALIRE GARCIA, of Reuters, reports on President Daniel Ortega’s five-year campaign against the Catholic Church…
Nicaraguan Catholic bishop back to jail after talks stall – local media
Reuters Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was returned to prison on Wednesday after negotiations between the government and church representatives broke down over the terms of his possible release, according to local news outlet Confidencial. Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and a critic of the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, walks at Managua’s […]
Brazil’s Lula will ask Nicaragua’s Ortega to release jailed bishop
Rome, ItalyReuters Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he would personally lobby Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega to release a bishop who has been imprisoned in the Central American state. Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and a critic of the Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, walks at Managua’s catholic church where […]
Nicaraguan Government accuses Catholic Church of money laundering, freezes accounts
Reuters Nicaraguan police said on Saturday they are investigating several dioceses of the Catholic Church for money laundering, a day after local media reported that the bank accounts of parishes in the Central American country had been frozen. The police, loyal to the government of President Daniel Ortega which has clashed fiercely with Nicaragua’s bishops, […]
Ahead of Easter, Nicaraguan Catholics press on despite procession ban
Managua, NicaraguaReuters As Nicaraguan Catholics prepare for Easter Sunday, a government crackdown on critics means Holy Week celebrations will mostly take place behind closed doors as ties between the influential church and President Daniel Ortega remain deeply strained. The government banned Holy Week street processions this year due to unspecified security concerns, after suspending ties […]
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega’s crackdown
Vatican City AP The Vatican said Saturday it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country’s government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest episode in a yearslong crackdown on the Catholic Church by the administration of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. The Vatican’s representative to Managua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, also left the country Friday, bound […]