The Vatican welcomed Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who had been sentenced to 26 years in prison by the Nicaraguan government, and 18 other Catholic religious who arrived in Rome on Sunday as guests of the Holy See.
A group of 19 Catholic religious, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who had been imprisoned and exiled by the Nicaraguan government, arrived in Rome on Sunday as guests of the Vatican. The Holy See confirmed their arrival and thanked Pope Francis and the Secretariat of State for their “respectful and discreet coordination” with the authorities of Nicaragua.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who led the Diocese of Matagalpa in the northern region of Nicaragua, was one of the most outspoken critics of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
He was arrested in August 2022, when the police surrounded his diocesan headquarters, and later sentenced to 26 years in prison for charges of conspiracy, spreading false news, obstruction of justice and contempt for authority. He also lost his Nicaraguan citizenship as part of the sentence.
He refused to accept a deportation offer to the United States, where 222 other political prisoners had been sent into exile almost a year ago. He remained in the Modelo prison in Managua until his release and expulsion to the Vatican on Sunday.
The other 18 religious who accompanied him included another bishop, 15 priests and two seminarians. Their names were listed in a document issued by the Nicaraguan government on Sunday, which stated that the trip to the Vatican was the result of a “very serious dialogue” with the Catholic Church hierarchy.
The auxiliary bishop of Managua, Monsignor Silvio Báez, who had been exiled in Miami since 2019, was the first to announce the news of the release and banishment of his fellow religious.
He said he had received the information from sources in Rome, Washington and Managua on Sunday morning. He celebrated a mass in the church of Santa Agatha in Miami to pray for them and for the situation in Nicaragua.
The Nicaraguan government has had a tense relationship with the Catholic Church, which it has accused of supporting the social uprising of 2018, which triggered a violent crackdown by the security forces and a prolonged political crisis. The government has called the Church “a mafia” and the bishops “demons in cassocks.”
This is the second time that the Ortega government has exiled priests who were in prison. On October 18, 2023, 12 priests were released and sent to the Vatican after a negotiation with the Holy See, as reported by the official media in Managua.
Pope Francis has expressed his concern about the “worrying situation in Nicaragua” and the “crisis that has been going on for some time with painful consequences for the entire Nicaraguan society, particularly for the Catholic Church.” He has also urged for “respectful diplomatic dialogue” to resolve the conflict.
