SW News: The Sandinista regime of Nicaragua has snapped all diplomatic ties with the Holy See. This is in retaliation for Pope Francis’ harsh condemnation of the government, which he described as a “Hitlerian dictatorship” in a recent interview.

It is known that the representative of the Nicaraguan government verbally informed the Vatican that they were severing ties between both countries. This was conveyed to the Vatican Secretariat of State. This means that the Apostolic nunciature in Managua and the Nicaraguan embassy in Vatican City will be closed down. News of the cutting of ties was also officially announced by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Relations in a press release.

Yara Suhyen Perez Calero was serving as counselor minister in the Vatican on behalf of the Nicaraguan government. Since September 21, 2021, Managua has not appointed an Ambassador to the Holy See. This was because the selection of Elliette Ortega Sotomayor was canceled by President Daniel Ortega.

In a recent interview, Pope Francis said, “With great respect, I have no choice but to think about an imbalance in the person who leads (Daniel Ortega)." He considers the situation in Nicaragua as “something that is outside of what we are experiencing, it is as if it were bringing the (Russian) communist dictatorship of 1917 or the Hitlerian (Nazi) dictatorship of 1935, bringing the same here." A few hours after the interview was published, the Nicaraguan president ordered the severing of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

While commemorating the 89th anniversary of the death of Augusto C Sandino last February, Ortega described the priests, bishops and the pope as a mafia that does not stand for the principles of God or Christ. “Who chooses the pope? How many votes does the Pope get among what is the Christian people? If we are going to talk about democracy, the people should first elect the priests of the people (…) let the people decide and not the mafia that is organized in the Vatican,” he said.

Both nations had diplomatic relations for the past 115 years when ties between the Holy See and Nicaragua were established in 1908.