Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez is Being Accused by the Sandinista Government of Conspiracy and Spreading False Information.
Newsroom (13/01/2023 10:43, Gaudium Press) Bishop Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, Bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí in Nicaragua, was brought before a court this past Tuesday, January 10, and will answer to charges of conspiracy.
In a preliminary hearing in Managua, Bishop Rolando learned of the charges against him. Officially, the prelate is accused of “conspiracy aimed at undermining national integrity and spreading false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the Nicaraguan state and society,” the court document states. Sources accessible to Gaudium Press have confirmed that, Bishop Alvarez has no lawyers of his choice. Instead, his defense lawyers have been assigned by the Sandinista Government.
An arrest warrant was also issued against Nicaraguan priest Uriel Antonio Vallejos, currently in exile, accused of the same “crimes” as Bishop Rolando.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez was detained in his own residence for fifteen days before being taken, on August 19, 2022, to a detention center in Managua, where he is to this day. At the time, he was accused of organizing groups to promote violence in order to weaken the state.
Persecution Against the Catholic Church
In fact, in 2018, President Daniel Ortega accused the Catholic Church of using the Bishops to promote a coup during demonstrations against the Sandinista government. In September 2022, Ortega declared that the Church is a dictatorship and a perfect tyranny.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has published a report in which Nicaragua appears among the countries where the right to practice religion is threatened.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez is the first Nicaraguan Bishop arrested and charged under the government of Daniel Ortega. The arrest of the Bishop of Matagalpa as well as President Ortega’s dictatorial measures against the Catholic Church have raised and are raising reaction around the world. (FM)
With information from Vatican News.
Compiled by Florence MacDonald
