The increasingly dictatorial government of President Daniel Ortega has turned its oppressive gaze onto the Catholic Church in Nicaragua in recent years. Angered by the church sheltering anti-government protesters in 2018, the state has intimidated, harassed, detained and exiled numerous church leaders and Christian activists. But many within the Catholic Church, which represents the vast majority of Nicaraguans, have continued to speak out against Ortega’s human rights abuses despite the persecution. This week, Kelly Valencia from Premier’s news team shares the story of Bishop Rolando and Father Ramiro, who have suffered escalating oppression at the hands of the Ortega regime.

(Correction: at one point Kelly mistakenly says that Father Ramiro was exiled with a further 190 or so others. The correct figure is 222.)

- Open Doors has more information on the persecution of Christians in Nicaragua https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/nicaragua/
- The US Commission for International Religious Freedom has a useful page on Bishop Rolando, including a selection of new coverage of his case https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/forb-victims-database/rolando-alvarez
- This CSW article covers the latest forced exiles of priests by the Ortega government and the continued imprisonment of Bishop Rolando https://www.csw.org.uk/2023/10/20/press/6100/article.htm

Released on 30 Oct 2023