Nicaragua bans catholic processions: Persecution

The Archdiocese of Managua has announced on via Facebook that they have received a notification from the national police of the city of Masaya that the catholic processions will not be allowed. The socialist governments of Nicaragua has said it’s for “reasons of public security.”

The Archdiocese’s has released a statement saying, “We invite the devotees and promisers of the patron saints to keep in mind that faith and devotion are a treasure that we carry in our hearts and from there we can pay due homage with the strength of the ancestral heritage in our communities,”

While this is the latest in a round of problematic affairs between peaceful religious groups and the socialist Nicaraguan government. It is no the only.

The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has endured as a strong bastion of opposition against the nation’s dictator, Daniel Ortega, and his communist Sandinista regime. Ortega, who branded the Nicaraguan bishops “terrorists” in 2021, has maintained a fierce campaign against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church in retaliation. According to data obtained from the last official national census (2005), 59 percent of Nicaragua’s population of 6 million is Catholic.

The persecution for Christians swelled in 2018 as the Church sided with anti-Ortega protesters calling an end to the socialist and dictatorial regime that has been called out for human rights violations, responsible for the death of hundreds who oppose them, and have put thousands in prison who speak out against the regime.

Ortega has redoubled his efforts against Christians expelling nuns, storming churches, shutting down Catholic television channels and radio stations throughout the nation. The police have even raided and arrested bishops for simply being bishops.

Our prayers and hearts go out to the Nicaraguan people.

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