Second attempt to banish Mons. Álvarez fails: they send him back to La Modelo [prison]

Second attempt to banish Mons. Álvarez fails: they send him back to La Modelo [prison]

By DIVERGENTES

July 5, 2023

The Bishop of Matagalpa is sent back to the La Modelo prison, after he did not accept the conditions of his forced exile, discussed by the Ortega-Murillo regime and a delegate of the Vatican. “That is pure speculation”, says Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes.

The second attempt of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship to banish Mons. Rolando Álvarez has failed: the Bishop of Matagalpa rejected the conditions discussed between the regime and a delegate of the Vatican, according to what diplomatic and ecclesial sources told DIVERGENTES. The religious leader, considered as the most critical voice of the Catholic Church of Sandinism, was sent back to the La Modelo prison this past Wednesday.

The sources consulted by this newsroom coincided on the fact that the Vatican assigned a representative of its Secretary of Foreign Relations to mediate with the regime, but also to try to “persuade” Álvarez, and in this way, that he might decide to take a flight to Rome. Nevertheless, the same thing happened as this past February when the Catholic bishop rejected boarding the plane to be banished in the United States. On the contrary, Mons. maintains his unswerving position: that he has not committed any crime, prefers to stay in his country and demand his unconditional freedom, like the rest of the priests sentenced and in prison. In addition, the bishop asked that the bank accounts of the dioceses and parishes of the country be unblocked, and the end to religious persecution. All his proposals were rejected by the dictatorship.

Álvarez maintains that he would abandon Nicaragua only if Pope Francis would expressly order him to do so. Nevertheless, so far it has not been confirmed whether the Pontiff issued any order along those lines. Nevertheless, ecclesial sources point out that the Pope takes very much into account the position of the Bishop about what is happening.

“Daniel Ortega poorly sized up Monseñor, he underestimated him; and Álvarez asked to see all the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference,” continued the ecclesial source, and added that Pope Francis recognizes the moral weight of Álvarez, the reason why he needs his approval to remove him from the country. According to the analysis of this person linked to Catholicism, the Ortega-Murillo regime cannot find a way to free itself from the bishop, and that is why it has increased the repression against the Church in recent hours to put more pressure on the Holy See and the Episcopal Conference. The newspaper La Prensa reported this Wednesday that the dictatorship has begun to charge parishes a Real Estate tax (IBI), in spite of the fact that since 1995 they have been exempt from this tax.

Brenes: “It is speculation”

For his part, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, in declarations to some communications media, described as “pure speculation” the news about the release of Mons. Roland Álvarez, and like on previous occasions, attacked journalists. “He remains in the La Modelo jail,” said Brenes briefly. The sources consulted stated that this declaration of Brenes is an attempt to lessen the interest about the failed negotiation around the liberation of Mons. Álvarez.

“The government is applying all pressure against the Vatican so that they would take Mons Álvarez away, they do not want him in the country, but the conversations are pretty hermetic,” said another diplomatic source to DIVERGENTES. “There is more than Bishop Álvarez at stake here; it is a matter of the future of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua: that the persecution end, that they do not continue closing Catholic schools and institutions; that that accusation of money laundering be lifted against the Church. It is a hard and tense situation. The Vatican knows that the regime is capable of eradicating Catholicism in the country,” he added.

The Bishop of Danlí, Honduras, José Antonio Canales, stated on Tuesday night in his Facebook account that Mons. Álvarez wants to be free in Nicaragua. “Mons. Rolando Álvarez does not want to leave Nicaragua. He wants to be free, without conditions, in his country,” he posted. On being consulted by DIVERGENTES, Canales said about his publication: “it responds to the fact that I personally know Mons. Rolando Álvarez; I have communicated with him in Honduras as well as in Nicaragua, he is a man of firm temperament, secure; he knows where he stands and does not give up easily.” Information about what is happening with Álvarez is not reaching other bishops of the region.