Pope Francis expressed today, in his New Year’s Mass, his “concern” about the detention of Catholic priests in Nicaragua, calling to “always seek the path of dialogue” to overcome the problems in the Central American country.
“I follow with concern everything that is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom. I convey to them, to their family and to the entire Church of the country my closeness in prayer,” he said from the window of the Apostolic Palace after praying the first Angelus of the year.
From the Apostolic Palace, the first Latin American pontiff in history transmitted his closeness in prayer to bishops and priests deprived of liberty, urging “insistent prayer” of the faithful in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican and of all the people of God.
“Meanwhile, I hope that the path of dialogue will always be sought to overcome difficulties. We pray today for Nicaragua,” she concluded.
Persecution of the Church
The tension between the Government of Daniel Ortega and the Catholic Church It is reflected in the expulsion and imprisonment of priests, the prohibition of religious activities and the suspension of diplomatic relations.
Since December 20, The Nicaraguan Police have arrested a bishop, 13 priests and two seminarians, according to complaints from human rights defenders and opposition leaders in exile, as reported by the EFE agency.
Although the Nicaraguan Government neither confirms nor denies the arrests of the 16 religious, they add to the conviction of Bishop Rolando Álvarez last February, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for treason. Furthermore, in August, Ortega ordered the dissolution in the country of the Society of Jesus, the order to which Pope Francis himself belongs, expropriating all of his assets.
The pope, months before, had described the Ortega regime as a “rude dictatorship” after the conviction of Monsignor Álvarez.
In October, The Nicaraguan Government released 12 priests and sent them to the Vatican after an agreement with the Holy Seealthough Monsignor Rolando Álvarez refuses to leave the country.
Nicaragua has been going through a crisis since April 2018, intensified after the November 2021 elections, where Ortega was re-elected for a fifth term, fourth consecutive and second alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo, as vice president. International concern persists over the situation of the Catholic Church and the violation of human rights in the country.
Message to women
On the other hand, in his New Year’s message, Francis affirmed that the Church must become more like the Virgin Mary and give space to women, promoting a pastoral ministry based on care, concern, patience and maternal courage.
The pope stressed the importance of looking to mothers and women in the world to find peace, escaping spirals of violence and hatred. “Every society needs to welcome the gift of women, respect them, care for them and value them,” said the pontiff.
Francis warned that “Whoever hurts one woman profanes God, born of a woman,”emphasizing the need to recognize the value and dignity of every woman. In a call for unity, the pope stressed that “our time, void of peace, needs a Mother who reunites the human family.”
With information from EFE.
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