First ordinations take place in Nicaraguan diocese since exile of Bishop Álvarez

One priest and seven deacons were ordained July 20 in the Matagalpa cathedral by the president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference. / Credit: Diócesis Media – TV Merced/Screenshot

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 22, 2024 / 16:52 pm (CNA).

After being under various forms of house arrest since August 2022, the bishop of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, Rolando Álvarez, was sentenced to 26 years in prison on Feb. 10, 2023, charged with being a “traitor to the homeland” by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega. In a deal with the Vatican, Álvarez was released from prison almost a year later and exiled to Rome on Jan. 14.

Now for the first time since Alvarez was exiled and while he is still the shepherd of his flock, one priest and seven deacons were ordained in his absence by the president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference and bishop of Jinotega, Carlos Enrique Herrera, on July 20 in the Matagalpa cathedral.

According to Diocese Media-TV Merced, the television channel of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Herrera celebrated the Mass in St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral in Matagalpa, where he ordained Juan José Orozco Jarquín to the priesthood.

The prelate also ordained to the diaconate Aníbal Hernaldo Vallejos Vallejos, Byron Antonio Flores Mejía, Celestino Eliécer Martínez Martínez, Ervin Andrés Aguirre Corea, Juan Dionisio Jarquín Díaz, Roberto Clemente Manzanares González, and Saúl Antonio Martínez Obregón.

According to the Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico, this is the first ordination since Álvarez was exiled to Rome.

The newspaper also confirmed that the Diocese of Matagalpa has lost 25 of the 60 priests it had in 2020, most of whom have been arrested or exiled by the dictatorship of Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo.

‘Propagate the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth’

In his homily, in which he did not mention Álvarez, the bishop of Jinotega highlighted that “it is always a cause of joy for us as a Church that God continues to bless us with these brothers who have freely decided to give themselves to the Lord.”

“We cannot help but feel great sadness because we must recognize that, although there are people who want to hear good things, there is a lack of those who are dedicated to announcing the good news and bearing witness,” the prelate noted.

“The Church was born with this purpose: to spread the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth, for the glory of God the Father, and thus make all men participants in the saving redemption and through this, order the entire universe toward Christ,” he emphasized.

Just mentioning Álvarez or asking for prayers for him during his long ordeal could result in being arrested by the dictatorship, which happened in December 2023 to the bishop of Siuna, Isidoro Mora, who was also exiled to Rome in January of this year.

Who is Álvarez?

Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí, is a well-known defender of human rights and critic of the Nicaraguan dictatorship, which since 2018 has intensified its persecution of the Catholic Church in the country.

The cancellation of the legal status and the expropriation of the assets of Radio María Nicaragua on July 9 was the latest attack perpetrated by the regime.

Beginning Aug. 4, 2022, the regime’s riot police prevented Álvarez from leaving his residence along with some priests, seminarians, and a layman.

Two weeks later, when they had almost run out of food, the police broke into the house and abducted him to Managua, where he was placed under house arrest.

On Feb. 9, 2023, in a deal with the U.S. State Department, 222 political prisoners including priests and seminarians were deported by the Ortega regime to the United States. Álvarez could have been on the plane bound for freedom but refused.

According to Felix Maradiaga, one of the released political prisoners, the bishop refused because “he couldn’t leave his people behind. Because he had to give an example, a sacrificial witness” to the 37 political prisoners still incarcerated. Maradiaga said that the bishop stated at that time: “I’m not going to leave until all the prisoners are free.”

After a swift sham trial, the dictatorship sentenced the bishop the next day to 26 years in jail, sending him to the La Modelo prison, where political prisoners of the dictatorship are held.

After Vatican mediation, he was finally deported to Rome in January. According to José Antonio Canales, the bishop of Danlí in Honduras, who had an opportunity to make contact with Álvarez when he was in Rome, the Nicaraguan prelate “is very animated, full of hope and optimism.”

Since arriving in Rome in January, Álvarez has made no public statements. However, according to Canales this silence has not been imposed on him but rather “is his personal decision to have time for himself, to reflect on his life, but everything is fine.” 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.