Pope Leo XIV meets exiled Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez, highlighting Vatican support for Nicaragua’s persecuted Church amid ongoing regime oppression.
Newsroom (14/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) In a significant gesture of solidarity with Nicaragua’s beleaguered Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV received Bishop Rolando José Álvarez Lagos, the exiled bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, in a private audience on Nov. 13. The meeting, confirmed by the Vatican Press Office, underscores the Holy See’s growing concern for the faithful in Nicaragua, who face relentless persecution under the authoritarian regime of President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo.
The Vatican provided no further details about the audience, but exiled Nicaraguan clergy and observers hailed the encounter as a beacon of hope for a Church enduring severe repression. Father Erick Díaz, a Nicaraguan priest based in Chicago, described the meeting as “an audience of hope and ecclesial communion” on social media. “This is a significant moment for our Nicaraguan Church, marked by challenges, fidelity to the Gospel, and hope in the Lord,” he wrote, invoking Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation.”
Father Edwing Roman, parochial vicar at St. Agatha’s parish in Miami, told ACI Prensa, that the audience reflects Pope Leo XIV’s deep awareness of Nicaragua’s plight. “The pope is well aware of the reality of the Church in Nicaragua and the situation of its people. It is undoubtedly a meeting filled with joy,” Roman said.
A Persecuted Church
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has faced escalating persecution since 2018, when the Ortega-Murillo regime violently suppressed nationwide protests, targeting clergy and laity who supported the demonstrators. A recent report, “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” authored by researcher Martha Patricia Molina and presented to Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 2, documented over 1,000 attacks on the Church, including the prohibition of more than 16,500 processions and acts of piety. Molina, speaking on EWTN Noticias, cautioned that the true scale of repression is likely higher, as fear silences many laypeople and priests are barred from reporting abuses.
Bishop Álvarez, a vocal critic of the regime, has become a symbol of resistance. In August 2022, he was confined to his episcopal residence in Matagalpa alongside priests, seminarians, and a layperson. After two weeks, with food supplies dwindling, police stormed the residence, abducting Álvarez and transferring him to Managua. In February 2023, a controversial trial saw him sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison on charges of being a “traitor to the homeland.” He was incarcerated in La Modelo prison, notorious for housing political prisoners.
Álvarez’s steadfast refusal to abandon his flock led to a dramatic standoff in 2023, when he declined to board a plane deporting over 200 political prisoners to the United States. Vatican mediation secured his release in January 2024, and he was deported to Rome alongside Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, other priests, and seminarians. Pope Francis subsequently confirmed Álvarez’s roles as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, even in exile, and invited him to participate in the Synod on Synodality in October 2024.
A Lion of Faith
Arturo McFields, former Nicaraguan ambassador to the Organization of American States, told ACI Prensa that the Vatican’s engagement signals a shift toward amplifying the “prophetic voice” of Nicaragua’s Church. “I believe there is a clear interest in listening to the voice of the persecuted, but not silenced, Church,” McFields said. He noted a recent surge in outspokenness among Nicaraguan clergy, with bishops and priests increasingly addressing the regime’s abuses.
“Pope Leo is truly a lion of faith and is interested in the people of Nicaragua, in their faith, which has been strengthened despite the persecution,” McFields added. “We must be attentive because better times are coming for the Church: The faith of the people is there, and their fervent prayers are being heard and, most importantly, answered.”
The Nov. 13 audience follows Pope Leo XIV’s August meeting with three other exiled Nicaraguan bishops: Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua; Isidoro Mora, bishop of Siuna; and Carlos Enrique Herrera, bishop of Jinotega and president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference. Báez reported that the group “spoke at length about Nicaragua and the situation of the Church in particular,” indicating the pope’s sustained focus on the crisis.
A Sustained Witness
Álvarez’s resilience has inspired Nicaraguans both at home and in the diaspora. In a February 2025 interview with EWTN Noticias, he revealed that prayer sustained him through his imprisonment. “When I was imprisoned, I was sustained by prayer,” he said, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to his pastoral mission despite exile.
As the Vatican continues to engage with Nicaragua’s exiled clergy, observers see Pope Leo XIV’s actions as a call to the global Church to stand in solidarity with the oppressed. For Nicaragua’s faithful, the pope’s meetings with their shepherds offer a glimmer of hope amid a dark chapter of persecution.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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