SW News: As the persecution of the Catholic Church by the Daniel Ortega regime intensifies in Nicaragua, the US Bishops’ Conference Committee on International Justice is urging the American government and the global community to take stock of the situation in the Latin American nation.

Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, who is the chair of the USCCB Committee on International Justice, said that the Catholic believers in Nicaragua have endured police harassment in churches and confiscation of property. They were also deprived of the centuries-old Holy Week processions, which are a grand affair. It was Ortega who gave orders to suppress public processions, including the ones on Good Friday and Easter citing alleged security reasons.

The prelate said in a statement on April 20 that “Despite these extreme hardships, the Nicaraguan faithful, in union with their bishops and priests, have resiliently borne witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection, as they attended Easter celebrations in record numbers.” He also urged the international community to continue to work for the release of Bishop Rolando Alvarez and for the restoration of peace in the country.

Bishop Alvarez was incarcerated in February after being given 26 years in jail and slapped with a fine on charges of treason, undermining national integrity and spreading false news. The Sandinista regime also expelled two nuns Sisters Isabel and Cecilia Blanco belonging to the Dominicas de la Anunciata congregation. They were deported to Costa Rica. The two sisters had been running a nursing home in Nicaragua for many years. The government has not provided any reason for the expulsion of the two nuns.

In Costa Rica, the duo was welcomed by a family and a priest on behalf of Bishop Manuel Eugenio Salazar Mora of Tilaran-Liberia Diocese. This was made clear in a video message on Facebook by the diocesan spokesperson Deacon Gustavo Wattson. He also sought prayers for the incarcerated bishop and the entire Church in Nicaragua.

It was Fr Donaciano Alarcon, a Claretian priest from Panama, who was expelled by the Nicaraguan government during Holy Week. It is reported that he went to Honduras. The priest was deported after he allegedly violated decrees that prevented public processions during Holy Week. The Sandinista regime of Ortega has intensified its persecution of the Church of late by arresting several priests, expelling nuns, and shutting down Catholic radio stations and universities. It all began in 2018 when the president accused prelates of trying to overthrow the government after acting as peace brokers during the deadly protests that left more than 300 people dead.