Nicaragua Bishop Exiled by Daniel Ortega Meets With Pope Francis, Says the Vatican

By Rick Martin Jan 22 2024, 22:20 PM EST

As the political and religious persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in Nicaragua continued, Pope Francis met with one of the bishops exiled by dictator Daniel Ortega in the Vatican as the Central American country has expelled even more Catholic priests amid its crackdown on all forms of dissent.

According to the Catholic News Agency, the Ortega regime expelled three priests, two of whom were Mexican. This came after the government canceled their congregation's legal personhood as part of its anti-Catholic crackdown.

The news was first reported by researcher and author Martha Patricia Molina, who posted on social media that "beginning Jan. 14, the priests belonging to the Most Holy Savior religious order of the Diocese of León received threats from the police when they were returning from celebrating Holy Mass in the St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Corinto. Since that day Father Ezequiel Buenfil and Father Erick Figueroa disappeared and were then expelled."

"With the cancellation of legal personhood, two houses belonging to the order of these religious people are in danger of confiscation," Molina added, as the regime also expelled Father David Perez from the Consecrated Missionaries of the Most Holy Savior.

Meanwhile, as these abductions and expulsions were being done in Nicaragua, the exiled auxiliary bishop of Managua, Silvio José Báez, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican last Saturday, with the bishop posting on X, "Pope Francis invited me to visit him and received me today at the Vatican. I appreciate his brotherly affection and his wise words."

Bishop Baez has been living in exile in Miami since 2019 because of threats from Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

"He confirmed me as auxiliary bishop of Managua and expressed to me his interest and love for Nicaragua. We have decided to meet several more times this year," the bishop added after meeting with the Argentinian, Pope Francis.

Nicaragua Cancels Legal Status of 16 NGOs

The expulsions were a direct result of the Ortega regime canceling the legal status of 16 NGOs operating in Nicaragua. Around 10 of those were Catholic or evangelical, according to Vatican News.

Nine of these non-governmental organizations were outlawed because the government claimed they failed "to comply with the regulations governing them and for hindering the oversight and surveillance operations provided by the authorities."

With the cancelation of their legal statuses, the government now has control of the assets that previously belonged to these NGOs.

Nicaragua Repression of the Roman Catholic Church Unlikely To Stop

Nicaragua has blamed the Roman Catholic Church for starting and aiding the 2018 anti-government protests, which the Ortega regime violently put down, killing and imprisoning hundreds of protesters. Since then, the country has not relented in persecuting the church, as it exiled priests and banned street processions, which were once common during Christmas and Holy Week.

While the recent release of Bishop Rolando Alvarez and others was seen as a ray of hope, The Conversation pointed out that it is unlikely that the persecution would stop, as seen in the recent actions by the government in expelling the three foreign priests.