SW News: Under President Daniel Ortega's dictatorship, the Nicaraguan government expelled three nuns who were in charge of a nursing home. This is the latest incident of religious oppression by the Ortega regime against the Christians in the Central American country.
The Costa Rican nuns Isabel and Cecilia Blanco Cubillo and a Guatemalan sister Teresa were reportedly expelled by the authoritarian government and were given 72 hours to leave the country. For 24 years, Sister Rosario Blanco had served as the nursing home's administrator. The nuns were reportedly forced to leave the country by the Ortega dictatorship's order sent to the Diocese of Granada. However, the priests from the neighboring country of Costa Rica welcomed the nuns.
The Tilarán-Liberia Bishop stated his support for and willingness to assist the nuns, their families, and the other sisters in the congregation. The bishop also urged Catholics to continue praying for Nicaragua and their fellow brothers and sisters who are being oppressed.
Nuns and priests have frequently been expelled from the nation, and Church members have faced persecution and been locked up. At least 20 persons are reportedly detained during Holy Week due to police harassment and sieges at churches nationwide.
The dictatorship banned public processions, and people were prohibited from participating in public expressions of their faith throughout the Holy Week. In addition, the traditional Stations of the Cross on Good Friday were suspended.
The Ortega government has been antagonistic towards the Church and has been a voice against the government's rights violations. It has expelled religious orders, including the Missionaries of Charity established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Apostolic Nuncio. Nicaragua also snapped ties with the Vatican by ordering the closure of the Nunciature in Managua and the Nicaraguan embassy in the Vatican.
The government also deported scores of political prisoners, including priests and activists. However, Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa, who was under house arrest, was sentenced to 26 years in jail after he refused to be deported.