Ecclesial communities in León are no longer allowed to continue door-to-door evangelization, according to lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina, author of the reports Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church.
“The dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have banned Pastoral Missions in the Diocese of León, which in 2026 is celebrating the Year of Ecclesiology. On January 24, 2026, the missions were supposed to go out house to house to preach the Gospel, the Word of God, but the permit was denied,” Molina reported.
According to the researcher, the first lay people who evangelized last Saturday managed to visit homes, but the activity scheduled for the following weekend was categorically prohibited.
“Do your things inside”
“Do your things inside,” was the order received by the clergy of the Diocese of León, which also covers Chinandega.
“The police banned the missions planned for next weekend and instructed everyone to remain in their parishes without going out to preach the Word, which turns the activity into a failure because its very spirit was to bring the Word of God from house to house,” Molina denounced on her X account.
Read also: Abuses, Terror, and Impunity: Inside the “Twin” Dictatorships of Nicaragua and Iran
Processions also banned
Molina explained that it is already well known that all processions are prohibited. “Since this has been happening for years, police officers show up to remind the parish priest or the bishop that there is no authorization,” she said.
She recalled that one of the first activities confined to the interior of churches was the procession of Saint Mary, Mother of God, in Managua, traditionally held every January 1, which has now disappeared.
Ahead of the 500th anniversary of the Diocese of León, Bishop Sácrates René Sándigo decreed that this year would be celebrated as the Year of Ecclesiology. Planned activities included pilgrimages and pastoral missions. The plan was to celebrate the Eucharist and then go door to door to preach the Gospel.
“The spirit of this activity is for the Gospel to go from house to house, not to remain locked inside the church. There are people who do not go to the temple; that is why doors are knocked on. Repression is becoming increasingly severe and more directly aimed at these pastoral activities,” Molina warned.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these days Doña Rosario wakes up paranoid and orders all parishes shut down,” Molina cautioned.
While clergy and faithful are repressed and evangelization is banned, the dictatorship allows activities unrelated to worship.
“Yesterday the doors of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy were ordered opened, and people were there until dawn celebrating and drinking alcohol. They allow that, but they do not allow the Church to go out and proclaim the Gospel,” Molina criticized.
Open Doors: Religious voices silenced
Meanwhile, Open Doors, an international organization that supports persecuted Christians worldwide, reported in its 2026 assessment that Christians in Nicaragua are being increasingly silenced under the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
In the World Watch List 2026, Nicaragua ranks 32nd among the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution because of their faith. The World Christian Database indicates that 75.3% of Nicaraguans identify as Catholic; despite this, the regime persecutes, imprisons, and exiles their pastors.
During the 2018 political crisis, Catholic leaders participated as mediators in the national dialogue but withdrew in March 2019 due to ongoing human rights violations and the regime’s refusal to negotiate in good faith.
“Since then, the Church has been treated as an enemy of the State because of its moral authority and its willingness to denounce injustice,” the report states. Religious leaders and communities have faced imprisonment, exile, confiscation of property, and the stripping of nationality.
Emblematic cases include Bishop Rolando Álvarez, sentenced to more than 26 years in prison and later expelled from the country. Evangelical pastors have also been imprisoned, as well as female religious orders dedicated to education and humanitarian work.
Read also: Former Close Legal Advisor to Nicaraguan Dictators says: «Ortega and Murillo Must Step Aside»
Intimidation intensifies
Open Doors warns that although repression is now less visible, intimidation has intensified. “The appearance of calm conceals control based on fear and censorship,” the report notes.
The areas with the highest number of incidents include Bluefields, Chinandega, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, León, Masaya, Managua, Matagalpa, and Rivas.
Molina concluded that fear and panic have taken hold within the Church, and religious leaders are speaking out less and less.
“Priests and lay people are under constant surveillance. There is harassment even of underage altar servers. Many no longer dare to report abuses because they know the dictatorship is capable of imprisoning them, exiling them, or even killing them,” she added.
“We are among the countries that gravely persecute religious freedom. In the Americas, Cuba and Nicaragua stand out,” Molina concluded.
