Nicaragua Expels Daniel Ortega Critic Bishop Rolando Alvarez, 18 Other Priests, to the Vatican

The Daniel Ortega regime in Nicaragua continued its row with the Roman Catholic Church as it announced that it expelled imprisoned Bishop Rolando Alvarez and 18 other priests to the Vatican.

Among those expelled from Nicaragua are Bishop Isidoro Mora, 15 priests, and two seminarians, though Alvarez remains the biggest name on the list as he was regarded as one of the infamous dictator's most prominent critics.

These releases came after weeks of talks between the Vatican and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega regime, which has gone after all forms of criticism, from expelling nuns and charitable institutions to suppressing the media and exiling and imprisoning political opponents.

Pope Francis led the talks with Nicaragua, which thanked the Argentina-born pontiff and other Church members for "the very respectful and discreet coordination carried out to make possible the trip to the Vatican." Previously, Pope Francis blasted the regime, calling Daniel Ortega's reign a "gross dictatorship."

A family member of one of the exiled priests spoke with Reuters and said, "Thank God he is gone, exiled but now free."

Rolando Alvarez is among the many critics of Ortega who was imprisoned over simply criticizing the president. The Nicaraguan government closed down Catholic radio stations he ran before finally arresting him last year and charging him with treason.

The regime has held an iron grip in Nicaragua and has been suppressing the Roman Catholic Church since 2018 after massive anti-Ortega protests were put down by the government violently. The Church was accused of sparking the protests and hiding protesters from authorities so they could not be arrested or killed.

Daniel Ortega Sending Political Opponents To Exile Is Nothing New

This latest batch of 19 clergymen being released to the Vatican came after Nicaragua also expelled a dozen priests to Rome following an agreement with Church officials. Much like many others, they were also stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship, a move criticized by human rights groups all over the world.

Political prisoners, meanwhile, including some priests, were also previously exiled to the United States after the US government brokered their release last year. Some 222 prisoners were sent directly to the US but were also stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship. There are also exiled opposition leaders and journalists living in other parts of the world, including neighboring Costa Rica.

US Slammed Nicaragua Over Unjust Imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Alvarez

The United States, which previously brokered the deal to free the 222 prisoners last year, had been blasting the Daniel Ortega regime over the continued imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Alvarez. Earlier this year, the US State Department released a scathing statement regarding Alvarez's continued detention, which crossed the 500-day mark at that point.

"President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have unjustly incarcerated Bishop Rolando álvarez for 500 days. During that time, Nicaraguan authorities have kept Bishop álvarez in isolation, blocked independent evaluation of the conditions of his imprisonment, and released staged videos and photographs that only increase concerns about his well-being," said the State Department statement before reiterating the call to release the bishop and many others.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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