political prisoners

Vatican will receive 12 priests who had been detained in Nicaragua. The release of the priests and their expatriation to Rome came following “fruitful talks with the Holy See.”

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, issued a statement Feb. 21 in response to several recent developments in Nicaragua, including the deportation of 222 political prisoners to the United States Feb. 9 by President Daniel Ortega’s regime.

Two Catholic priests imprisoned in Nicaragua since August arrived in Charlotte late Feb. 12 to hugs and tears from family and friends, after their release and deportation to the United States Feb. 9.

The bishop’s arrest followed other moves by the Ortega regime targeted at the Catholic Church.

“Most of the people expelled were politicians or candidates for public office that (Daniel) Ortega locked up before the elections,” the archbishop said, but among them were “four or five priests, a couple of seminarians, a deacon and an organist.”

ishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa was convicted and sentenced by a Nicaraguan court to 26 years in prison Feb. 10 — barely a day after the outspoken prelate defied President Daniel Ortega by refusing to go into exile.

The New York Times reported the regime of President Daniel Ortega asked for nothing in exchange for the release of political prisoners but cited a Biden administration official saying Nicaragua hoped to improve relations between the two countries.

“The Vatican has preferred a quiet, backdoor engagement with the government to try and persuade it to downscale its repressive tactics and resume talks with the opposition, rather than public condemnation.”