Fr. Edwing Román: Priests and laity are jailed “for being witnesses of the truth”
“Lord, there continues to be persecution because he who is not with me, is against you. Bishops, Priests and laity, we all deal with this because we have to be witnesses of the Truth,” said the priest.
By Noel Pérez Miranda, Dec 26, 2022 in Artículo 66
Fr. Edwing Román, former pastor of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel of Masaya, bemoaned the imprisonment that priests, seminarians, and a layperson are suffering for “being witnesses of the truth.”
Citing the biblical text from The Gospel according to St. Matthew 10:17-18, the priest said about the abducted priests that “they will take you before tribunals (…), before governors and kings for my cause.”
“Lord, there continues to be persecution because he who is not with me, is against you. Bishops, Priests and Laity we are dealing with all this because we have to be witnesses of the Truth,” the priest added through his Twitter account.
Román, exiled in the United States, is one of the critical religious voices of the Nicaraguan regime who has demanded the freedom of all the abducted priests, including Mons. Rolando Álvarez, accused by the Ortega regime of damage and false news.
Recently the priest branded the sanctioned judge, Karen Vanessa Chavarría, from the Ninth District Penal Court of Managua, as a paid stooge. She is responsible for handling the penal and political process against the bishop of Matagalpa.
“(…) she covers her face to not be identified (…) She uses a face covering only for her wrongdoings,” pointed out Román, who added that like other judges of the regime of Nicaragua “soon we will see her – Karen Chavarría – asking for asylum.”
12 priests indicted by the justice system of Ortega
With the recent accusation of “damage to national integrity and false news” against Mons. Rolando Álvarez, there are now 12 priests who the regime of Daniel Ortega has deprived of their freedom in this year 2022.
The first in being abducted, accused, and sentenced by the Ortega justice system were Fr. Manual Salvador García, the pastor of the Church of Jesus of Nazareth, in Nandaime, Granada, found guilty supposedly of attacking a woman and threatening followers of the Nicaraguan dictatorship.
The second in being tried was Mons. Leonardo Urbina, pastor of the Church of Perpetual Succor in Boaco, sentenced to 30 years in jail for the supposed crime of rape of a 14-year-old minor and minor psychological injuries to the detriment of a 12-year-old victim whose initials are M.J.V.S.
The dictatorship continued its attack against religious and August 14th abducted Fr. Óscar Benavidez, pastor of the Holy Spirit Church in Mulukukú in the Diocese of Siuna. He was apprehended after leaving the Concepción de María Chapel, where he gave his homily based on the persecution and harassment of the prophets. He was taken to the cells of the Judicial Support Office (DAJ), known as “El Chipote”, where he remains today.
The Ortega regime also accused priests and seminarians who for 16 days – from Aug 4-19 – accompanied the bishop of Matagalpa, Mons. Rolando Álvarez, for the crime of conspiracy to commit damage to national integrity and the propagation of false news.
Those processed are the first and second vicar of the Cathedral of San Pedro in Matagalpa, Jose Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios, respectively; as well as priests Ramiro Tijerino – President of the John Paul II University – and Raúl Vega González. Facing the same charges are seminarians Darvin Leiva and Melkin Centeno Sequeira, as well as the cameraman Sergio Cárdenas.
Another of the priests to be jailed was Fr. Enrique Martínez Gamboa, pastor of the Santa Martha Church in the Archdiocese of Managua. He was abducted on the afternoon of Oct 13, days later was accused of conspiracy to commit damage to the national integrity and the propagation of false news. With this detention now there are nine priests, two seminarians and one layperson in prison.
On the eve of these days of Christmas and New Years, the relatives of the more than 230 political prisoners, priests and human rights defenders continue demanding their freedom, nevertheless, the dictator Daniel Ortega continues with his wave of repression and does not show signs of wanting to free them.