Title: Nicaraguan Priest Arrested as Government Targets Catholic Church
Date: [Date]
Author: [Author’s Name]
The oppressive regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in Nicaragua continues to intensify its assault on the Catholic Church, with the recent arrest of yet another religious figure. On Sunday, July 9, Father Fernando Zamora Silva, the chancellor of the Curia of the Diocese of Siuna, was taken into custody after leaving a mass at the San Luis Gonzaga parish in Managua, as confirmed by ecclesiastical sources to LA PRENSA.
Father Zamora had participated in the inauguration Eucharist ceremony presided over by Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes, during which he, along with Father Ildefonso Vargas, handed over the responsibilities of the San Luis Gonzaga parish to the new parish priest, Father Edgard Rodríguez.
One of the sources revealed that Father Zamora held a significant position as the representative of his Diocese in the Ecclesiastical Court in Managua. This arrest serves as another alarming example of the government’s targeting of religious figures.
The name of Father Zamora was found on the list of invited religious figures to the event. His detention adds to a long list of priests who have been arrested by the Ortega regime in recent years. Notably, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, who refused to go into exile, was previously sentenced to 26 years in prison and remains incarcerated in the Jorge Navarro Penitentiary System, commonly known as La Modelo.
The Diocese of Estelí had also confirmed the arrests of two priests, Father Eugenio Rodriguez from the Divina Providencia parish in Jalapa, Nueva Segovia, and Father Leonardo Guevara Gutiérrez from the Estelí Cathedral. Both were “required” by the Police in May 2022 for an investigation related to administrative matters of the dissolved Cáritas Diocesana de Estelí, which was canceled by the Ministry of the Interior.
In June 2022, Father Manuel Garcia was sentenced to two years in prison and a 200-day fine for allegedly threatening five individuals with a weapon. He was accused of brandishing a machete on May 30, 2022, when a group of young Ortega supporters harassed the rectory of the Jesús de Nazareno church in Nandaime, where Father Garcia served as the parish priest.
Additionally, Monsignor Leonardo Urbina, the parish priest of the Perpetuo Socorro church in Boaco, has been convicted of sexual abuse without due process. The trial was held behind closed doors, outside his rightful judicial jurisdiction, and he was denied a private defense, instead being subject to a State-appointed defense.
These arrests and unfair trials of religious figures raise serious concerns about the Ortega regime’s disregard for religious freedom and human rights. The continued targeting of the Catholic Church undermines the principles of justice and liberty in Nicaragua.