Pope Francis’ letter to Nicaraguan Catholics is ‘balm for our spirit,’ exiles say

Nicaraguan academic and political activist Felix Maradiaga speaks during an interview with AFP in Managua on Feb. 11, 2021. / Credit: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Lima Newsroom, Dec 3, 2024 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Catholics exiled from Nicaragua are expressing their gratitude for the recent letter of encouragement Pope Francis sent to the persecuted Church in the Central American country.  

“In the midst of this wave of repression and religious persecution unprecedented in our history, his words of encouragement are a balm for our spirit and a reminder of the transforming power of faith and hope,” said Félix Maradiaga in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Maradiaga, a former presidential candidate and former political prisoner, added that “the Holy Father’s closeness to us as a pastor reaffirms our trust in divine providence, even when we face trials and challenges that seem insurmountable.”

For Martha Patricia Molina, a researcher whose reports have documented hundreds of attacks by the Nicaraguan dictatorship against the Catholic Church in the country in recent years, Pope Francis’ letter shows that “he follows up and pays attention to the serious situation facing Nicaragua.”

“At this time, anything written by the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference would be a reason for the Sandinista dictatorship to continue deporting bishops, and Pope Francis knows that,” Molina said. “I feel that’s why he sent us this beautiful message.”

“Our people are Marian, and during these days we are praying the novena to the Immaculate Conception. Receiving this pastoral letter from Pope Francis during this special time is a gift from God,” she added.

Industrial mechanic Pedro Gutiérrez, who was deported to Guatemala in September, told the Spanish-language edition of EWTN News that Nicaraguans and many other people in the world as well would like Pope Francis to take a tougher approach to the dictatorship, given the crimes that have been committed against the country’s Catholics.

After comparing Pope Francis to St. John Paul II, who “confronted dictators, great tyrants,” Gutiérrez called on the pontiff “not to remain silent about the injustices that these criminals are committing against the Catholic Church itself.”

“We would like a Pope Francis who defends the Catholic Church, who stands up for the Catholic Church,” he emphasized.

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