Bishop Ronaldo Álvarez was detained in August 2022 and spent over a year in detention in Nicaragua. Now he, Bishop Isidoro del Carmen Mora Ortega, fifteen priests and two seminarians have been released from detention.

Overall, of the nineteen churchmen who were released, with one exception, all of them sought refuge and have already arrived at the Holy See.

After his arrest, Bishop Álvarez spent months in house arrest. Then, from February 2023, he was in prison. He was sentenced to 26 years by the Nicaraguan government. The other bishop, Bishop Isidoro del Carmen Mora Ortega, was arrested in December 2023. He and all the other churchmen were arrested and detained by order of the Sandinista government of Nicaragua.

The Holy See accepted twelve priests freed from Nicaraguan prisons and has continued to accept the recently released. They are now the guests of the Holy see.

The Sandinista government of Nicaragua actively cracked down on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, raiding churches and arresting priests. As the government fights every other authority that does not align with them, it is likely that the arrests will continue.

Source: Vatican News

Photo: AFP