Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: August 31, 2024
Today our prayers are for Nicaragua, which has seen a huge crackdown over the past month.
Amid a fresh wave of arbitrary detentions, 11 religious leaders from the Roman Catholic Church were detained – most of whom have since been forced into exile.
79-year-old priest Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón is now under house arrest. He was detained on 26 July while preparing for the ordination of three deacons, which the police said he didn’t have permission to do. Father Valle Salmerón is diabetic and suffers from hypertension. He became seriously ill while in the police vehicle, so please pray for his health.
Less than a week later, Bishop Ulises Vega and Bishop Edgard Sacasa were arbitrarily detained on 1 August before eventually being sent into exile. The pair had taken over leadership of the Diocese of Matagalpa from Bishop Rolando Álvarez Lagos, who you may remember was also forced from the country earlier this year.
Police detained several other religious leaders in August, mostly from the Diocese of Matagalpa. You can read the full list in our press release if you’d like to pray for them by name.
Unfortunately, the crackdown did not stop there.
Towards the end of August 1,651 civil society organisations were forced to close. More than a third were of a religious nature.
Then just two days ago, another 169 organisations were cancelled – including scores of churches and two of the most historic denominations: the Moravian Church of Nicaragua (present since 1847) and the Episcopal Church of Nicaragua (present since 1612 and part of the Global Anglican Communion).
This means that, since 2018, the Nicaraguan government has cancelled the legal status of over 5,500 organisations – eliminating more than 76% of registered independent civil society.
These organisations play a vital role – often supporting the most vulnerable in society.
In some cases, employees and religious leaders live on the properties associated with the cancelled organisations. Many are now urgently searching for new places to live, as those properties are being confiscated as part of the cancellation process.
How many more will be closed before President Ortega is held to account?
Please pray:
- For the countless men, women and children who were involved with – or even depended on – the programmes run by these independent organisations.
- For an end to the relentless targeting of religious leaders and independent voices in Nicaragua.
- For the religious leaders who were detained and subsequently forced from the country, and for Father Valle Salmerón who remains under house arrest.
- For the unconditional release of all who are unjustly imprisoned or detained under house arrest.