No less than 16 religious (one bishop, six monsignors, seven parish priests and two seminarians).) have been detained in Nicaragua since December 20 last year, journalists, opponents and the Catholic Church itself said in the country, which is ruled by the duo of Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo.

Five priests from the Archdiocese of Managua were arrested on Saturday for denouncing the auxiliary bishop of Managua. Silvio Baez, and exiled lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina.

Nicaraguan priests detained from Friday evening to Saturday Silvio Fonseca, Miquel Monterrey, Raul Zamora, Gerardo Rodriguez and Miguel Mantica, all from the Archdiocese of Managua, according to a report by Molina, author of the study “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?”

“This week the Sandinista dictatorship launched a brutal hunt for priests, jailing several of them who “They are coming to add two bishops who have already been imprisoned” For his part, said Baez, who was ordered by Pope Francis to leave Nicaragua in 2019 for security reasons amid tensions between President Daniel Ortega’s government and the Catholic Church.

Baez, who lives in Miami and has been declared a “traitor to the country” by authorities and stripped of his citizenship, said via the social network X (formerly Twitter) that “The fury of Ortega’s criminal dictatorship against the Church continues.”

The exiled hierarch implored “bishops and episcopal conferences for peace don’t leave us at this moment, “Let them pray for the Church of Nicaragua, show solidarity and raise their voices to condemn this persecution by the dictatorship against our Church.”

According to researcher Molina, “Sandinism crucifies the clergy of the Archdiocese of Managua”, led by Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, who did not comment on these arrests, and asked himself: “What will the Catholic Sandinistas say now?”

In his opinion, “the Sandinista dictatorship “preparation of exile or mass criminal prosecution of religious people”, just as happened last October when the government released 12 more priests it was holding in prison and sent them to the Vatican.

Authorities detained the bishop last week Isidoro Mora, two priests and two seminarians. And this week they jailed nine more priests, seven of them from the Archdiocese of Managua.

Neither the government nor the National Police confirmed or denied the alleged arrest. religious, with the exception of the bishop Rolando Alvarezwho was sentenced on February 10 to 26 years and 4 months in prison, stripped of his citizenship and banned for life for crimes considered treason.

This verdict was handed down the day after Alvarez refused to board the plane that he was planning to take him along with 222 other freed Nicaraguan political prisoners to the United States, which angered President Ortega, who called him “proud”, “crazy” and “energetic” on national television.

According to a survey published Confidentially and prepared by CID Gallup, 72% said they were against Alvarez’s sentence. however, only 9% considered him guilty.

The media conducted their own count of detained believers and noted that Most of the arrests occurred on the night from December 29 to the morning of December 30. during which six believers were arrested: six from Managua and two from Chinandega.

He noted that Msgr. Silvio Fonseca of the Archdiocese of Managua, was deprived of his liberty by the police, who laid siege to the church where he was staying for hours. The monsignor was arrested that same day. Miguel Mantica Cuadrasparish priest of the Church of Francisco de Asis in Bolonia, Managua. Confidentially indicates that both criticized the actions of the Ortega government.

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Also arrested were priests Miquel Monterrey (Managua); Raul Zamora (Managua); Gerardo Rodriguez (Managua); Hader Hernandez (Nehapa); Erwin Lopez (Chinandega) and Monsignor Jaime Ramos (Chinandega).

The list includes Priest Fernando Calero (Matagalpa) and Monsignor Marcos Diaz Prado (Chinandega). The day before, Monsignor Carlos Aviles, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Managua, was arrested; priest Hector Treminio (Managua); Pablo Villafranca (Nindiri, Masaya).

The first person arrested on December 20 was the bishop of the Siuna diocese. Monsignor Isidoro del Carmen Mora Ortega and seminarians Alester Saenz and Tony Palacios. The day before, the priest asked Bishop Rolando Alvarez in his homily.

The priest was released under supervision Jader Guidosecond vicar of the Cathedral of San Pedro Apostol in Matagalpa and Msgr. Oscar Escoto Salgado.

“The dictatorship of Ortega M. seeks to destroy the Catholic Church,” said the legendary Sandinista guerrilla Dora Maria Telles via social network X.

Telles, who was a member of the first Sandinista government (1979-1990), said that for Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, the traditional Jesus Sacramentado procession, which takes place on January 1 and is usually attended by thousands of Catholics, “this is a threat”.

“They are driven by fear and paranoia.”noted Telles, for whom “the strategy of the Ortega Murillo dictatorship is to completely dismantle the Catholic Church” and “leave parishes without priests.”

(according to information from EFE And Aristegui News)