Two Bishops who were imprisoned by the Nicaraguan Ortega regime, Rolando Álvarez and Isidoro del Carmen, are now in Rome, along with 15 other priests and two seminarians. They all arrived in the Eternal City on January 14.
Bishop Rolando Álvarez had been in prison since February and Bishop Isidoro del Carmen since December 2023.
The last public appeal Pope Francis made for peace in Nicaragua was during the Angelus on January 1.
POPE FRANCIS
I follow with deep concern what is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom. I express to them, to their families and to the entire Church in the country my closeness in prayer. I also invite all of you present here and the entire People of God to insistent prayer, while I hope that we will always seek the path of dialogue to overcome difficulties.
This group of Nicaraguans joins the 12 other priests from the country who arrived in Rome in October. Relations between the Nicaraguan Ortega regime and the Church have deteriorated in recent years. In addition to imprisoning priests and bishops, the government expropriated a Catholic university and expelled the Vatican nuncio.
JRB
TR: AT
