Nicaragua: Daniel Ortega Launches New Attack Against Catholic Church, Calling It 'Perfect Dictatorship'

Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega has issued another statement against the Catholic Church, describing the religious institution as a "perfect dictatorship" for not allowing members of the church to elect the pope.

Al Jazeera News reported that everything in the Catholic Church is "imposed," adding that it is a "perfect tyranny."

The Nicaraguan president talked about the Catholic Church during a televised speech on Wednesday, marking the 43rd anniversary of the Nicaraguan police's establishment.

Ortega said that if the Church were to start going democratic, it should start with "Catholics voting for the cardinals, for bishops."

The Nicaraguan president has since accused the Catholic Church in Nicaragua of backing protests against his leadership in 2018, leading to a crackdown against protesters that killed hundreds.

Ortega has also claimed that the protests against him were supported by the United States opposition, plotting to remove him from the position and alleged the bishops of complicity.

Daniel Ortega Against the Catholic Church

Daniel Ortega also described church figures such as bishops and priests as "killers" and "coup plotters" during his televised speech, accusing them of working with "American imperialism."

He said that he is a Catholic and he does not feel represented.

It is not the first time that Ortega has publicly attacked the Catholic Church as he has called bishops "terrorists" and "demons in cassocks" in September 2021, according to a Catholic News Agency report.

In 2018, he also accused bishops of being behind the 2018 protests and promoting a coup d'etat against him.

Pope Francis said that there is a dialogue with the Nicaraguan government. However, the church leader said that there "are problems" as of now.

Nicaraguan Immigration and Foreigners Office prevented Father Juan de Dios Garcia, who is the vicar of the Santo Cristo de las Colinas parish, from returning to the country after he traveled to the United States.

De Dios Garcia's situation was reported by the newspaper La Prensa on September 11.

In August, Nicaraguan police also abducted Rolando Alvarez, bishop of Matagalpa, from the chancery where he was forcibly confined by riot police. He remains under house arrest in Managua.

Tension in Nicaragua

The pope said that the Catholic Church is talking with the government, but that does not mean that they approve of "everything the government does, or that we disapprove, "as reported by France 24 News.

Aside from the Church, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols was also criticized during Ortega's speech. Nichols is serving under Chile's president Gabriel Boric, who recently criticized Ortega for human rights violations.

The European Union and the United States have implemented sanctions against Nicaragua and its officials over the last four years due to human rights violations.

At least two priests and two seminarians were arrested in Nicaragua. However, the police did not specify the charges against them.

Ortega ruled Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990 after the former guerilla ousted U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.

He then returned to power in 2007 and has increasingly become authoritarian and has silenced opposition.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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