Nicaragua Cut Ties With the Vatican by Closing Embassies

Nicaragua has delivered another blow to the Vatican after Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega ordered the closure of the Vatican Embassy in Managua. Reuters reported that Ortega also ordered the shutdown of the Nicaraguan Embassy to the Vatican in Rome, according to a senior Vatican source.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church's Pope, Pope Francis, likened Nicaragua's government to a dictatorship. Ortega's decision was considered a "suspension" of diplomatic relations.

The Vatican source added that the closures of the embassies do not entirely mean a definite break of relations. However, it is considered to be a serious step toward that possibility.

The relationship between the Nicaraguan Catholic Church and Nicaragua's government has been suffering ever since Ortega's crackdown on the anti-government protests in 2018. The Church then decided to act as a mediator between both sides.

In 2019, Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Baez went into exile. He was also known as a critic of the Nicaraguan government.

More recently, bishop Rolando Alvarez was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in Nicaragua. He was also known to be a staunch critic of the Nicaraguan president.

Nicaragua and The Catholic Church

Last September 2022, Ortega described the Catholic Church as having a "perfect dictatorship" as it does not allow its members to elect the pope.

Ortega said in his televised speech that in the Church, "everything is imposed," describing it as a "perfect dictatorship" and "perfect tyranny," according to Al Jazeera News.

The Nicaraguan president said that if the Church were to be democratic, it should start with Catholics "voting for the pope, for cardinals, for bishops."

Ortega claims that the protests in Nicaragua were part of a U.S.-backed opposition plot to overthrow him. He even went on to call out bishops and priests as "killers" and "coup plotters" in his speech and accused them of working on behalf of "American imperialism."

Meanwhile, Pope Francis earlier noted the importance of "never stopping the dialogue" with Nicaragua. He noted at the time that the Catholic Church was talking with the Nicaraguan government.

On Friday, the pope called Ortega "unstable" and likened his government to the Nazi government, as published by the Catholic News Agency.

Protests in Nicaragua

Seven presidential candidates and 32 known government critics were detained in Nicaragua in late May and October 2021. Human Right Watch reported that prosecutors opened investigations against most on alleged "treason" charges.

In addition, most critics were held incommunicado and subjected to abuses in detention. It also included daily interrogations and prolonged solitary confinement while being provided with insufficient food.

Authorities have also barred critics' lawyers from participating in public hearings. They were also assigned public defenders instead.

Human rights experts also denounced the shutdown of more than 700 civil rights groups, as cited by United Nations.

Experts said that the shutdown does not only affect human rights organizations but also includes those working towards the rights of women and indigenous people in the country.

It also affected organizations providing humanitarian aid and medical services, including educational, cultural, and artistic foundations.

READ MORE: Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega's Critic Edgard Paralles Picked Up by Two People Not in Police Uniform and Was Detained

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Pope Francis compares Nicaraguan regime to Nazi and communist dictatorships - from ROME REPORTS in English