(ZENIT News / Managua, 04.03.2025).- In yet another aggressive move against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has confiscated the Episcopal Curia of Matagalpa, effectively stripping the diocese of its historical headquarters. The move, reported by «La Prensa» on March 31, is part of an ongoing campaign of persecution against the Church, which has been a vocal critic of the dictatorship and a beacon of resistance since the pro-democracy protests of 2018.
The building, constructed in the 1930s to serve as the Episcopal Palace, has now been repurposed as an office for «Sermesa», a company affiliated with Nicaragua’s social security system. This seizure is the latest in a series of escalations targeting the Diocese of Matagalpa, which has suffered some of the harshest repression under Ortega’s rule.
The confiscation of the curia is widely seen as an extension of the Ortega regime’s vendetta against Bishop Rolando Álvarez, the exiled leader of the diocese. Arrested in 2022 after a two-week police raid on churches in Matagalpa, Álvarez was sentenced in 2023 to 26 years in prison on charges of “treason.” Stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship, he became stateless in a blatant violation of international law.
After months in prison, Álvarez was forcibly exiled to the Vatican in January 2024 as part of a deal between the Holy See and the Nicaraguan government. Since then, he has maintained a low profile, breaking his silence only occasionally to reaffirm his spiritual connection to his homeland. In December 2024, he celebrated Mass in Seville, Spain, offering prayers for Nicaragua and for the centennial of the Matagalpa diocese.
In interviews with Spanish media and Catholic broadcaster EWTN earlier this year 2025, Álvarez refrained from direct political statements, instead emphasizing his role as a pastor. He made it clear that, despite exile, he remains the legitimate bishop of Matagalpa and the apostolic administrator of Estelí. “I was ordained for the Diocese of Matagalpa, and I remain its shepherd as long as God wills,” he declared.
These remarks enraged the Ortega-Murillo regime. In an official statement, Nicaragua’s foreign ministry condemned the Vatican for “meddling in national affairs” and accused the Church of “assigning authority to individuals who are no longer Nicaraguan citizens due to their intolerable conduct.” The regime’s statement even resorted to historical attacks, accusing the Church of crimes dating back to the Inquisition and sexual abuse scandals.
The attack on Álvarez and the Matagalpa diocese is emblematic of a broader strategy to silence religious institutions in Nicaragua. Christian organizations—both Catholic and Protestant—have been relentlessly targeted. Over the past five years, the government has shut down more than 5,660 nonprofit organizations, including numerous faith-based groups. Among the most recent closures are the Christian Association of the Mount of the Holy Anointing, the Evangelical Pentecostal Missionary Church Ministry, and the Evangelical Ministry Cherubini of the King.
Thank you for reading our content. If you would like to receive ZENIT’s daily e-mail news, you can subscribe for free through this link.
