( Spanish) — The diocese of Matagalpa reported on its Facebook account that the Nicaraguan National Police entered the episcopal curia at dawn this Friday, where the bishop of that diocese, Rolando Álvarez Lagos, was with other priests and seminarians, who turned 16 days besieged by that security body.
So far, the location and condition of Monsignor Álvarez and his companions are unknown.
The Police did not issue any report and . is trying to obtain information through the authorities, but they have not responded.
On August 5, the National Police reported in a statement the start of investigations against those who try to “organize violent groups, inciting them to carry out acts of hatred against the population, causing an atmosphere of anxiety and disorder, altering peace and harmony. in the community, with the purpose of destabilizing the State of Nicaragua and attacking the constitutional authorities”.
Before the entry of the Police into the curia was reported, Monsignor Álvarez had said he did not know why he was being investigated. Both in his homilies and from the Curia and through digital media, he has urged prayer and dialogue in the country.
This Wednesday, 25 former heads of state and government from Latin America and Spain, members of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA), rejected in a joint statement what they described as an act of repression against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, while asking Pope Francis to “adopt a firm stance in defense of the Nicaraguan people” and their religious freedom.
In recent days, the episcopal conferences of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Ecuador have expressed solidarity and closeness with Álvarez and the Nicaraguan ecclesiastical authorities.
The conflict between the Government and the Catholic Church deepened after the start of the anti-government protests in April 2018, when the bishops of the Episcopal Conference participated as mediators in the first attempt at national dialogue, with which various social sectors and the government They were seeking a peaceful solution to the country’s political conflict.
On repeated occasions, President Daniel Ortega has signaled to the bishops to support what he considered an attempted coup.
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