The organization Nicaragua Collective Never Again This Thursday he condemned the expulsion of the bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrezpresident of the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua and leader of the diocese of Jinotegain the north of the country.
In a statement, the NGO denounced that Herrera’s exile “not only affects a religious leader, but also symbolizes the growing and unstoppable persecution and repression faced by the Catholic church in our country.” This forced exile It joins the expulsion of other ecclesiastical leaders.
The NGO recalled that, this same year, the bishops Rolando Alvarezof the diocese of Matagalpae Isidoro Moraof the diocese of Siunawere also “banished and denationalized” by the regime of Ortega.
The NGO, made up mostly of Nicaraguan exiles and based in San Jose, Costa Ricahighlighted that “the exile of Bishop Herrera is a criminal act against the religious freedom that every Nicaraguan has the inalienable right to enjoy.”
Herrera Gutierrez75 years old, was sent to Guatemala after publicly denouncing acts that he described as sacrilegious, carried out by authorities linked to the regime.
The bishop’s expulsion took place just days after Herrera publicly criticized the Sandinista mayor of Jinotega, Leonidas Centeno, for placing speakers with loud music in front of the San Juan Bautista Cathedral during a mass on November 10.
According to the human rights group, the authorities forced Herrera to go to the airport in Managua to expel him Guatemalawhere he was received by the Provincial House of the Franciscan Friars.
Erick Diazexiled priest, and Martha Patricia Molinaauthor of the study “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?”, supported the NGO’s complaints, pointing out that the expulsion of Herrera exemplifies the “criminalization and repression” towards Iglesia in Nicaragua.
According to Díazthe regime usually uses “loud music to boycott masses” and, in this case, the page Facebook of the Diocese of Jinotega It was closed shortly after the incident.
The persecution is not limited to specific leaders, but represents a systematic action of harassment, he stated. Nicaragua Never Again. Since 2018, the regime Daniel Ortega y Rosario Murillo expelled more than 200 religious, including 35 priests who were denationalized.
The activity of at least 1,262 religious organizations was also suspended, the group highlighted. This repression, highlighted by ONG“has demonstrated with 65 religious accused judicially of unfounded charges”, all with the aim of silencing critical voices that defend “peace, justice, democracy and human rights in Nicaragua”.
The group also reported an increase in hostility towards the Church in recent years. Between 2018 and 2024more than 870 attacks against religious institutions were documented, including the burning in 2020 of the image of the Blood of Christ in the Managua Cathedralattack that ONG attributed to pro-government groups.
Before this chase panorama, Nicaragua Never Again He called on the international community to “denounce and condemn” these crimes, which he considers against humanity.
“We demand full respect for religious freedom” and we call on the international community and all Nicaraguans to show solidarity with the Church and the victims of exile, dispossession of nationality and so many crimes that have gone unpunished until now,” the organization stressed in its statement.
The relations between the regime of Ortega and the Catholic church are at a critical point, with restrictions including the prohibition of religious activities and the breakdown of diplomatic relationsas concluded by NGO report.
(With information from EFE)
