The Daniel Ortega regime has been repressing all sorts of opposition in Nicaragua, from political opponents to the media and, most especially, the Roman Catholic Church. Now, a Nicaraguan court has sentenced five priests to spend 10 years in prison.

The fifth priest was only sentenced last Sunday, with all five being accused of backing pro-democracy protests. Various human rights groups quickly denounced the sentences as they were tried in closed-door trials with government-appointed defenders acting as the priests' attorneys.

The priests have worked under one of Daniel Ortega's most vocal critics, the imprisoned Bishop of Matagpala, Rolando Alvarez. One of the imprisoned priests is also the rector of the privately run Juan Pablo II University in the capital of Managua, according to the Associated Press.

Aside from the priests, the Nicaraguan government also arrested two seminary students and a cameraman who worked for the diocese. They were also sentenced last Monday.

The Nicaraguan Human Rights Center decried all the sentences and called them "a legal aberration."

It added, "This is an insult to the law, an insult to people's intelligence, an insult to the international community and the international agencies for the protection of human rights."

This is the latest escalation in the rift between the Nicaraguan government and the Roman Catholic Church as the Daniel Ortega regime ousted Mother Teresa's order of nuns, as well as the Papal Nuncio from the country. Pope Francis is now monitoring the situation with "worry and sorrow."

READ MORE: Nicaraguans Fleeing From Daniel Ortega Administration Posts Challenge for Costa Rica's Asylum System 

Religious Persecution has Revitalized the Catholic Faith in Nicaragua

Along with Cuba, Nicaragua has had the most vicious attacks on religious freedom in the Americas. There had been over 1,400 attacks on preachers and parishioners in both countries, with their respective regimes aiming to strangle the voice of the Church.

However, The Hill has noted that these attacks on the Roman Catholic faith have had the opposite effect in Nicaragua. So far, there have been accumulated 410 attacks on religious freedom in the country, including the desecration of temples, the murder of an altar boy, and the arrest of Bishop Alvarez. However, faith in the Church remains stronger than ever in the Central American country.

During the 2019 anti-government protests in Nicaragua, it was the Roman Catholic Church that stood in Ortega's way, preventing a greater number of students, women, and children from getting murdered by his regime. Since then, the country has repressed religious freedom, banning processions because they disturb the "peace and security." This has led to new restrictions that suppress many forms of freedom, with opposition leaders calling it the "North Koreanization" of Nicaragua, according to El Pais.

Persecution of the Catholic Church Having a Boomerang Effect

It is noted that the Nicaraguan people are seeing how much priests and lay persons are standing up against Daniel Ortega's regime, and it has had a different effect from what Ortega had hoped.

The repression ordered by Ortega and his wife has had a boomerang effect, revitalizing the faith in the Church instead of suppressing it. The Hill noted that there now seems to be a greater admiration for the priests and bishops standing up to Ortega and have now joined the cries for solidarity.

READ MORE: Pope Francis Worried For Nicaragua After Bishop's Arrest

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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