Vatican, 16 September, 2022 / 2:11 pm (ACI Africa).
By a broad majority, members of the European Parliament on Thursday condemned the escalating repression against the Catholic Church and others in Nicaragua.
The resolution, passed Sept. 15., criticized the arbitrary “arrest of Bishop Rolando Álvarez” of Matagalpa and called “for his and others’ immediate and unconditional release and the annulment of all legal proceedings against them.”
The European Parliament’s text recognized Álvarez as playing “an important role as a mediator in the 2018 National Dialogue” and having constantly called “for peaceful and reasoned dialogue in Nicaragua.”
Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, is monitored by police in early August 2022. Photo credit: Diocese of Matagalpa
The resolution also drew attention to the expulsion of the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, and numerous other repressions against members of the Catholic Church. These include the detention of Father Manuel Salvador García, the expulsion of 18 Missionaries of Charity, and the silencing of Catholic media.