Nicaraguan bishop denounces intimidation after priest arrested after Mass

Pews of St. John the Baptist Church in Masaya, Nicaragua, are seen Nov. 21, 2019, after churchgoers were forced to barricade the doors when supporters of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega tried to enter the church located south of Managua, the capital. (CNS photo/Oswaldo Rivas, Reuters) 

Dec. 9, 2019
Agenzia Fides

ESTELI, Nicaragua -- On the day of the most heartfelt Marian feast in Nicaragua, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Catholic Church once again denounced the government's repression of the people and the persecution of the church itself.

This time it was Bishop Abelardo Mata, bishop of Esteli, who met journalists at the end of the Mass for the Immaculate Conception and informed them about the latest events in his diocese.

First of all, the bishop himself had to intervene to free Father Ramón Alcides Peña Silva, parish priest of the church of Jicaro, who had been arrested by the police on Dec. 7 at around 7 p.m., while he was returning from a celebration in the church of Nueva Segovia.

The priest, according to Fides sources, was detained for 12 hours on charges of "disturbing public order," while, according to the words written by the priest himself on social media, he had only gone to celebrate Mass.

Bishop Mata then referred to the large presence of the police around the cathedral of Esteli, with the intention of intimidating the faithful.

The priests are in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people, and the government fears this will lead to more to protests.

"Together with the peasants, young people are addressing all Nicaraguan citizens a strong call to their ... personal and social conscience," Bishop Mata said. 

In july 2018, Bishop Mata survived an armed attack said to be carried out by paramilitary forces, La Osservatore Romano reported. His car was riddled with bullets in Nindirí, near the capital, Managua. 

In September 2018, a group of masked men entered the home of a priest in the Diocese of León in Nicaragua and savagely beat a priest in what was seen as a new direct attack against the church in the country.