Alder, Nicaraguan seminarian: "The Pope asked us to be courageous".Pope sends message of hope to the people of NicaraguaFrancis: hope for Nicaragua, freedom to pray in Ukraine(David Agren, OSV News). Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa, a staunch leader of the Nicaraguan Church, gave his first interview since being exiled to the Vatican in January 2024, and he did so amid another cancellation of the legal personality of a Catholic organization, as the Sandinista regime extinguishes civil society groups and religious orders.
When asked how the faithful can resist in the face of so much persecution, the bishop cited Pope Francis' exhortation to the faithful to "look to the Immaculate Virgin," patroness of the Church. Nicaragua. Bishop Alvarez also advised young people to "be brave" like St. Joseph and emulate his "courage and trust in Providence".
In Nicaragua, the January 8 edition of La Gaceta-Diario Oficial, the official government newspaper, reported that the Ministry of the Interior revoked the legal status of the Foundation of Contemplative Dominican Nuns, citing a "voluntary dissolution" due to a "decrease in its membership and lack of resources to carry out its projects." Legal status was also revoked for 14 other organizations, including evangelical churches, charitable groups and Save the Children International.
Nicaragua has cancelled the legal status of more than 5,400 religious and non-governmental groups in the last six years, while the government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, closed spaces for civil society, persecuted the press and the opposition, and violated basic rights such as freedom of association.
The couple, who have presented a constitutional reform to become co-presidents, have also attacked freedom of worship, with priests, bishops and religious exiled and forced to flee the country. The regime has cancelled the legal status of dozens of Catholic organizations, including religious orders such as the Jesuits and the Missionaries of Charity.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, whose nomination to be Secretary of State in President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration was confirmed on January 20, spoke of the persecution of the Church in Nicaragua during his confirmation hearing on January 15. "One of the first things they did in the new year was to kick all the nuns out of the country. They have gone to war with the Catholic Church, which was the last institution in the country capable of standing up to them," he said.
His comments about women religious reflected the perception in Nicaragua that many women religious would be forced to leave the country after their congregations lost their legal status. A source familiar with the situation of the Church in Nicaragua could not confirm the senator's claims that there are no nuns left in Nicaragua.
Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer in exile who documents the crackdown on the Catholic Church in her home country, said at least 14 religious orders have left Nicaragua since 2018. At least 74 Catholic-sponsored organizations have been shut down in the same period, including universities, Caritas chapters and charity projects, she said.
In his latest report on church repression, published in December, Molina stated that, in total, 266 clergy have been expelled from Nicaragua or banned from returning after traveling abroad, including 146 priests, 99 nuns and four bishops.
Bishop Alvarez, whose homilies denounced the excesses of the Ortega-Murillo government, is perhaps the most prominent voice sent into exile. He was sent to Rome with 18 detained churchmen in January 2024, after being sentenced to 26 years in prison on trumped-up charges of conspiracy and disseminating false information.
The bishop gave his first interview since his exile to a Spanish publication, La Tribuna de Albacete. He told the publication on January 12 that he traveled to Spain on a pastoral visit to visit Nicaraguan priests and seminarians working and studying in the region.
"I always try to be close to my priests," Bishop Alvarez said. "For me, that is the main pastoral task, even before any other preferential option. They are my sons, my brothers, my friends and my closest collaborators in the apostolic and evangelizing mission that the Lord has entrusted to me."
Asked how the Nicaraguan Church is doing, he quoted a letter from Pope Francis to Nicaraguans in December, on the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The Pope told the Nicaraguans: "Do not forget the loving providence of the Lord, who accompanies us and is the only sure guide. Precisely in the most difficult moments, when it seems humanly impossible to understand what God wants of us, we are called not to doubt his care and mercy."
Asked how to face a difficult reality of persecution at home, Bishop Alvarez quoted the papal letter, which advises: "Be certain that faith and hope work miracles. Let us look to the Immaculate Virgin; she is the luminous witness of that confidence. You have always experienced her maternal protection in all your needs and have shown your gratitude with a very beautiful and spiritually rich religiosity". And he continued: "For this reason, we always welcome the Immaculate Virgin, who is the patroness of Nicaragua".
In another question, the bishop was asked for advice for young people. He invited them to "turn their gaze to the Holy Family: Jesus, Mary and Joseph. St. Joseph, as a just man, gives us an example of courage and trust in Providence".
He added: "I ask them (young people) to be courageous, creative and innovative. Be fearless and maintain the energy needed to transform the world into a better place for all".
