The Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica stand in solidarity with the Church in Nicaragua, given the events that took place in the early morning and the constant persecution that has been taking place in the neighboring country.
“Given the recent events that point to the arrest of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, the Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica express their solidarity and raise a prayer to the Lord of peace in these moments of pain and uncertainty,” stated the Episcopal Conference in a press release.
The Catholic Church has been under siege for opposing and criticizing Daniel Ortega’s regime.
“We call for respect for religious freedom, for the dignity of individuals, and for the mission of the Church in Nicaragua carried out by lay faithful, religious men and women, priests and bishops,” added the Church.
The Missionaries of Charity were also expelled from Nicaraguan territory and welcomed to Costa Rica.
For the Bishops, the suffering of the Nicaraguan people and the Church is of great concern. As part of the communiqué, they said they “ask Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, to grant this gift to our sister nation.”
Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo accuse Nicaragua’s Catholic Church of supporting the citizen rebellion that began in April 2018.
Despite the constant persecutions, the Church pointed out that they are “confident in the Lord’s promise ‘I will be with you until the end of the world’ (Matthew 28:20) and remain hopeful that he will manifest his strength and grace to overcome times of tribulation.”
In Costa Rica, many religious and political leaders have shown solidarity with the Nicaraguans and called for the reinstatement of peace and democracy.
The Catholic Church has held vigils and urged the faithful to pray for their brothers and sisters in Nicaragua.
“We maintain our plea to remain united in prayer throughout our country, especially so that we can continue to do so in our parish communities, invoking peace,” concluded the message.
The Archbishop of Panama also spoke out about the arrest and asked for the release of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez and those accompanying him.
