Church in Nicaragua
The Latest
Exiled priest says bishop on trial in Nicaragua created secret human rights office
Father Uriel Vallejos recounted how the Bishop Rolando Álvarez opened the office to help those persecuted after anti-government protests in... Read more
Prosecution accused of fabricating witnesses for trial of Nicaraguan bishop
An exiled priest and a human rights defender charge that the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega is manipulating and “fabricating”... Read more
Meet the priest the Nicaraguan dictatorship wants to put away for eight years
Father Oscar Benavidez was found guilty of two crimes at a Jan. 16 trial riddled with irregularities and consisting of... Read more
Blessed Sacrament desecrated in church in Nicaragua
Unidentified individuals on Jan. 15 desecrated the Blessed Sacrament in a Catholic church in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua. Read more
Nicaraguan priest found guilty, sentenced to eight years in prison for ‘conspiracy’
A judge found Father Oscar Benavidez Dávila guilty of the crimes of “conspiracy to undermine national security and sovereignty” and... Read more
Catholic bishop arrested by dictatorship in Nicaragua to be put on trial
Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who has been held under house arrest in Nicaragua since August, will be put on trial, accused... Read more
2022 was the worst year for the Catholic Church in Nicaragua
Lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina Montenegro reported that “2022 was the most disastrous year for the Nicaraguan Catholic Church.” Read more
Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega: ‘I never had respect for the bishops’
Daniel Ortega once again attacked the Catholic Church, accusing it of “calling for bloodshed,” and said, “I never had respect... Read more
Ortega seeking to ‘destroy the Catholic Church in Nicaragua,’ advocates tell Congress
Human rights experts decried the ongoing repression of the Church by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and urged additional U.S. action... Read more
Nicaragua forces Catholic bishop to stay under house arrest
The court charged Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa with “conspiracy,” “spreading false news, and “damaging the Nicaraguan government and society.” Read more
Dictatorship in Nicaragua prohibits Immaculate Conception procession
The decision forces San José de Tipitapa parish in the Archdiocese of Managua to hold their celebrations in the parish... Read more
Nicaraguan bishops express concern for thousands who are leaving the country
In an Advent message issued Nov. 16, the bishops acknowledged “ the concerns we have about the social, political, and... Read more
ADF calls on human rights commission to defend religious freedom in Mexico and Nicaragua
“Latin America is currently experiencing a surge of human rights abuses in the area of religious freedom,” stated Tomás Henriquez,... Read more
Another Catholic priest has been ‘kidnapped’ by Nicaragua’s government, says exiled churchman
According to a prominent human rights group, Father Enrique Martínez Gamboa is the 11th Catholic priest to be arrested and... Read more
Priest prevented from returning to Nicaragua: It’s ‘not a crime’ to criticize government
Before Father Guillermo Blandón could take the flight from Miami to Nicaragua, he was informed that the Nicaraguan government had... Read more
Nicaraguan dictator Ortega verbally attacks pope, calls Church ‘the perfect dictatorship’
President Daniel Ortega called the pope a “holy tyrant” and said the Church is “the perfect dictatorship” during a Sept.... Read more
Church in Nicaragua asks for continued prayers for abducted bishop and priests
The Diocese of Matagalpa asked for prayers for its bishop, Rolando Álvarez, and others who were arrested and abducted in... Read more
Ortega dictatorship expels another religious congregation from Nicaragua
The dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua has expelled the Religious Sisters of the Cross, thus continuing its attacks... Read more
Nicaraguan dictatorship prohibits procession for St. Michael the Archangel and St. Jerome
The dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, has prohibited upcoming processions in Masaya. Read more
European Parliament condemns growing repression of Catholic Church in Nicaragua, calls for release of bishop
The resolution, passed Sept. 15, criticized the arbitrary “arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvarez” and called “for his and others’ immediate... Read more
