Nicaragua remains a “country of particular concern” (CPC) the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has said in its annual report which highlights in particular the increasing persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.
The commission calls for Nicaragua, as well as Cuba, to be re-designated as such by the US State Department. Nicaragua and Cuba were added to the list of CPCs only last November.
The Nicaraguan government “escalated its campaign of harassment and severe persecution against the Catholic Church by targeting clergy, eliminating Church-affiliated organisations, and placing restrictions on religious observances,” according to the report.
“Violations of religious freedom that occurred in previous years – such as hate speech against the Catholic Church and denial of entry into the country for clergy – continued in 2022 as well.”
The CPC designation is reserved for the most grave abusers of human rights, countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. This year, the commission recommended adding Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam to the list.
The report addressed the plight of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, of the Diocese of Matagalpa and Estelí.
“Following multiple instances of harassment in spring and summer, in August police conducted an early-morning raid on Bishop Álvarez’s church in Matagalpa, detained him, and put him under house arrest in Managua.”
When the government deported over 200 clergy, Bishop Álvarez refused to leave. He was tried in a show trial, convicted of treason and other charges and sentenced to 26 years in prison.
The commission also complained that the government confiscated the Catholic television station and eight radio stations. The report notes that many Catholic non-governmental agencies were among the 3,000 shut down by the government in 2022.
On 7 May, Bishop Silvio Báez, who fled Nicaragua in 2019 after being warned of a government plot to assassinate him, celebrated Mass at St Mary of Lake and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Chicago. A Nicaraguan priest, Fr. Erick Díaz, who was exiled in February, serves at the parishes.
Bishop Báez teaches scripture at the St Vincent seminary in Florida. Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich called for “an immediate end to the systemic persecution of the Church in Nicaragua”.
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