Nicaraguan Government orders seizure of top Jesuit-run university
Reuters A Nicaraguan judge has ordered the confiscation of all assets belonging to a prestigious Jesuit-run university, the college announced, as the government’s crackdown on Catholic clergy and church-affiliated institutions intensifies. In a letter seen by Reuters that was dated Tuesday and addressed to the university community, the Central American University (UCA) said it had […]
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 […]
“I miss my people, my nation”: Fear, anxiety follow Nicaraguan faith leaders into exile
MARÍA TERESA HERNÁNDEZ, of Associated Press, reports on the plight of those exiled from Nicaragua because of their faith…
Nicaragua’s government committed crimes against humanity: UN experts
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Nicaragua’s government has committed serious and systematic violations which amount to crimes against humanity, a United Nations-appointed team of human rights experts said on Thursday, calling for international sanctions against the government. The three-person body said the government has committed, and continues to commit, acts of torture, extrajudicial executions, arbitrary detention since […]
Pope worried about Nicaraguan bishop sentenced to 26 years
Managua, NicaraguaAP Pope Francis on Sunday expressed sadness and worry at the news that Bishop Rolando Alvarez, an outspoken critic of the Nicaraguan Government, had been sentenced to 26 years in prison in the latest move against the Catholic Church and government opponents. Hours later in Nicaragua’s capital, Cardenal Leopoldo Brenes said someone had asked […]
EU Catholic bishops demand release of clergy detained in Nicaragua
Rome, ItalyAP European Catholic bishops on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of Nicaraguan clergy detained in the government’s crackdown on the Catholic Church, saying they have been falsely accused and are being subjected to unjust persecution. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops Conferences of the European Union, said European bishops would […]
Catholic priests in Nicaragua sentenced to decade behind bars
Managua, Nicaragua Reuters A Nicaraguan judge sentenced four Catholic priests to 10-year prison terms on Monday, after they were charged with “treason” and “spreading false news,” amid what rights groups call a growing clampdown on critics of President Daniel Ortega. Two Catholic seminarians studying for the priesthood were also sentenced to a decade behind bars […]
Detained Nicaraguan Catholic bishop, Ortega critic to face trial
Managua, NicaraguaReuters A prominent Catholic bishop in Nicaragua who has sharply criticised authoritarian President Daniel Ortega will go to trial while under house arrest, a judge ruled on Tuesday, in the latest clamp down on dissent in the country. Police arrested Bishop Rolando Alvarez in August, capturing him after he barricaded himself in church property […]
Nicaragua orders bishop to remain under house arrest
Mexico City, MexicoAP A Nicaraguan court has ordered that a Roman Catholic bishop remain under house arrest on charges of “conspiracy” and “spreading false news,” a government media site said Tuesday. The government website El 19 Digital said Matagalpa Bishop Rolando Álvarez has been formally charged with those crimes and “damaging the Nicaraguan government and […]
Pope urges dialogue over church-state crisis in Nicaragua after bishop’s arrest
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis on Sunday called for an “open and sincere” dialogue to resolve a stand-off between the Catholic Church and government in Nicaragua, following the arrest of a bishop who is a leading critic of President Daniel Ortega. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing, Francis made […]