A group of 25 former heads of state and government from Latin America and Spain issued a public statement on Wednesday in which They expressed concern about the current persecution of Daniel Ortega’s regime against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, and called for a “firm stance” on the part of Pope Francis.
in the call Declaration on the Ortega and Murillo Regime and the Aggravated Persecution of Freedom of Religion in Nicaragualeaders from José María Aznar to Vicente Fox, through Sebastian Pinera and Álvaro Uribe, all members of the Democratic Initiative for Spain and the Americas (IDEA), point out that religious freedom is “The main test in confirming and talking peace.”
Citing the American Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, they confirm this “Religious freedom has led to persecution by states and governments that have broken away from their obligations to freedom.”
Likewise, they assert that they note “with Exacerbation of anxiety “what is happening in Nicaragua, Where “after persecuting and criminalizing political and social leaders, as well as radically restricting all freedom of expression and the press, It is now progressing towards the persecution of the leaders of Catholic bishops, priests and nuns, and even their expulsion from the national territory.”
At the end of the letter, the leaders finally affirm that they expect “a firm position in defense of the people of Nicaragua and their religious freedom from His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the world Catholic Church”. The The pontiff’s silence regarding this has already earned him desperate criticism and requests From various sectors, inside and outside Nicaragua.
For their part, IDEA Group leaders have already made statements in the past about the events in Nicaragua, The Daniel Ortega regime has strengthened its attack on the opposition sectors since the start of the demonstrations in 2018.
The letter, posted on Wednesday, was signed by Oscar Arias, Jose Maria Aznar, Nicolas Ardito Barletta, Felipe Calderon, Rafael Angel Calderon, Laura Chinchilla, Alfredo Christiani, Ivan Duque, Vicente Fox, Federico Franco, Eduardo Friado and Osio Gutierrez. Luis Alberto Lacalle, Mauricio Macri, Jamil Maawad, Mireya Moscoso, Carlos Mesa, Andres Pastrana, Sebastian Pinera, Jorge Toto Quiroga, Miguel Angel Rodriguez, Julio Maria Sanguinetti, Luis Guillermo Solis, Alfus Olivaro.
The The arrests and restrictions of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua are the latest chapter in a 43-year chain of controversies Between this Christian religion and Ortega, the commander-in-chief of the Nicaraguan Police.
In 2022 the government Ortega arrested three priests, canceled eight radio stations and three Catholic channels, forcibly entered and raided a diocese, and expelled Mother Teresa’s missionaries from Calcutta.
Description of the leader of the Sandinistas “Terrorists” of the Nicaraguan Bishops who acted as mediators in a national dialogue that sought a peaceful solution to the political and social crisis that Nicaragua has been experiencing since 2018, a country in which 58.5% of its 6.6 million people consider themselves Catholic.
The situation in Nicaragua Things got worse after the controversial elections last November in which Ortega was re-elected For a fifth and fourth consecutive terms and a second with his wife, Rosario Murillo, Vice President, with his main rivals in prison.
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