Nicaragua The Bishops of the World Reject the Unjust Persecution of the Church

Felipe Herrera-Espaliat - Vatican City Faced with the worsening social and political situation in Nicaragua, following the recent expulsion from the country of more than 220 opponents of President Daniel Ortega's regime and the sentence of more than 26 years in prison for Bishop Rolando Álvarez, various episcopates of the world have reacted with concern and solidarity towards the situation of citizens and of the Catholic Church in that country The reaction of CELAM The president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), Monsignor Miguel Cabrejos, in a statement warned against the weakening of the rights of the Catholic faithful and expressed "solidarity, closeness and prayer with and for the people of God and his shepherds".

"In faith we are comforted by the words of the Gospel: ' after being deprived of their nationality and all their civil rights Monsignor Rolando Álvarez refused to board the flight that would have taken him into exile, choosing to remain at home and, consequently, to face an expedited process which, on Friday 10 February, led to his conviction and subsequent transfer to Modelo prison .

The Spanish bishops: freedom for political prisoners Through their website, the Spanish bishops have also released a statement in which they express their pain and concern for "the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua who are suffering persecution by the government for defending the freedom of Nicaraguans" The Spanish Catholic hierarchy has asked ".