Since the beginning of 2024, in the context of the exile of a group of priests to Rome, a noticeable phase of silence has been implemented in the Catholic Church of Nicaragua, both among priests abroad and within the hierarchy inside the country.
On January 13, 2024, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo expelled 19 religious figures from the country, including the bishops of Matagalpa and Siuna, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez and Isidoro Mora, respectively.
Since then, critical voices of the Catholic Church abroad, such as the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Managua, Monsignor Silvio Báez, or Father Uriel Vallejos, have become less visible. However, the repression continues. On August 7, the regime exiled a new group of eight priests to Rome.
Furthermore, on August 10, the police abducted Father Leonel Balmaceda, the administrator of the Jesús de la Caridad parish in the municipality of La Trinidad, Estelí; and also arrested laywomen Carmen Sáenz and Lesbia Gutiérrez, collaborators of the Diocese of Matagalpa. Sáenz is a specialist in canon law and works on marriage annulment processes in the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa.
On August 11, the regime detained Father Denis Martínez, from the Diocese of Matagalpa and a teacher at the Interdiocesan Seminary of Fátima in Managua.
Silence is no guarantee of an end to the repression
According to sociologist and political scientist Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, these actions demonstrate that the regime, despite the Church’s silence, is determined to continue its repressive escalation against the religious institution, which the Nicaraguan dictatorship considers its “enemy.”
“The level of repression in this country is extreme and affects all actors. Silence is a survival mechanism, but a very fragile one. In the government’s paranoid dimension, silence is not enough for them because they will still doubt you even if you remain silent. The regime feels that the Church or any space not under the control of Ortega and Murillo could potentially challenge their power,” said Gutiérrez.
Jesuit priest and researcher on religious issues, Ismael Moreno, agreed with Gutiérrez that the regime will continue its repressive escalation against the Catholic Church despite the silence, as the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship aims to eliminate any structure that is not under its control.
“It is highly concerning that persecution against members of the Catholic Church continues in Nicaragua. It’s no longer about whether a cleric or a member of the Church behaves well or poorly according to the dictatorship’s criteria; rather, they are persecuted because there is a decision to arrest and repress anything related to the religious world that the dictatorship does not control,” said Moreno.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been facing a situation of conflict and tension with the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship for several years, which intensified with the outbreak of the sociopolitical crisis in April 2018. The Sandinista regime accuses the Church of promoting “terrorism,” a crime with which the dictatorship categorizes antigovernmental protests.
Between 2023 and August 7, 2024, the Ortega-Murillo regime exiled two bishops, 39 priests, one deacon, and four seminarians, totaling 46 religious figures. Among them, eight arrived in the United States on February 9, 2023, while the others went to the Vatican. Additionally, the regime has prevented dozens from entering the country and forced many others into exile, according to a report by human rights defender Martha Patricia Molina that reveals 150 priests have been expelled since 2018.
Regime is Willing to Eliminate the Catholic Church
Despite the statements made by the government spokesperson on March 7, 2024, when she claimed that “the days of broken glass are behind us” while wishing Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes a happy birthday, Father Moreno believes that the Ortega-Murillo regime’s strategy could gradually dismantle the structure of the Catholic Church in the country.
“Now it doesn’t matter if there is behavior against the regime or if there is silence, because what exists is a decision to completely nullify and bury an institution that could represent a threat, no matter how small,” said Moreno.
He also warned that the dictatorship “has no limits” due to its high levels of dehumanization and pointed out that with regimes like Ortega and Murillo’s, negotiation is not possible.
Orders to maintain silence
A Central American specialist in ecclesiastical issues consulted by LA PRENSA, who requested to remain anonymous, stated that the Catholic Church chose to maintain silence to foster “dialogue” with the Ortega-Murillo regime. However, they believe this could cause discontent within the Latin American Church.
However, they emphasized that the authorities of the Catholic Church in Rome are betting on the path of dialogue with the Ortega-Murillo regime.
“The Church has maintained silence to encourage dialogue, but the government’s response has been entirely contrary to the search for a peaceful environment. People from the Church who used to speak out have stopped doing so to foster a peaceful atmosphere, and the government seems to misinterpret the silence and intensify its actions, especially in recent weeks,” they added.
The strategy of silence from the pulpits, directed by the Vatican, is evident in the statements of Rodrigo Guerra López, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, who stated that public declarations do not build agreements and that the Holy See favors “discreet and effective diplomacy.”
In 1958, Pope Pius XII established the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The main objective of this body is to advise and assist the particular churches in Latin America on pastoral matters.
Guerra expressed that public statements do not build agreements; rather, these should be pursued by seeking opportunities.
“Statements have their role and importance, but they do not build agreements, which often need to be made slowly, seeking areas of opportunity and ensuring that the people are not sacrificed,” Guerra said in an interview with Canal Trece of the Spanish network Cope.
For his part, Father Moreno considers that the Vatican is “actively protecting the members of the Catholic Church.”
“I understand that they continue to observe and remain in communication with members of the Church in Nicaragua, and Pope Francis has a tremendous interest in maintaining the Catholic Church,” he noted.
In this sense, according to Guerra, Pope Francis is trying to “help everyone” through dialogue, rather than through “exalted public statements.”
“Pope Francis is trying to help us all from every angle of political engagement to rediscover the importance of dialogue and encounter for resolving disputes. Opting for exalted statements from either side usually leads to undesirable situations of violence,” he remarked.
Will the Priests Allied with the Regime Survive?
In Nicaragua, despite the regime’s persecution of the Catholic Church, some priests are considered close to the regime, including the Bishop of the Diocese of León, Sócrates René Sándigo; and priests Naguib Eslaquit, Antonio Castro, Julio Arana, and the Carballo brothers, Boanerges and Bismarck.
For example, Father Antonio Castro, on July 19, 2019, participated in the dictatorship’s celebration of the Sandinista Revolution anniversary. In his speech, the priest supported the Ortega-Murillo regime and called for the lifting of sanctions.
“Let the laws, the Magnitsky Act and the Nica Act, be stopped. We want peace, of course. Peace is not the absence of war; peace is the fruit of development, growth, progress, life, and love,” said Castro.
Translation:
According to Father Moreno, in a context like Nicaragua, where the regime even attacks its own inner circle of power, it is very unlikely that religious figures who show a favorable stance toward the dictatorship will “escape” a repressive crackdown.
“The regime views the Church as an enemy, and in the face of an enemy, what tyrannies seek is its elimination, regardless of the presence of people who support the regime,” stated Moreno.