Nicaragua suspends diplomatic ties with the Vatican after Pope’s comments

() — The Government of Nicaragua took measures to suspend diplomatic relations with the Vatican, according to a statement issued this Sunday by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The move comes as tensions rise between Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Pope Francis. During an interview last week with an Argentine media outlet, Pope Francis compared the government of President Ortega to a “dictatorship.”

In February, the pontiff had openly expressed his “sadness” over the recent prison sentence of Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a well-known critic of the Ortega government.

On February 10, Rolando José Álvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison for crimes such as spreading false news, attacking the State of the Republic and Nicaraguan society.

will contact the Vatican for comment.