Nicaragua: A Missing Bishop, a Report on Persecution of the Church, and a Dictator Who Announces There Will Be No More Elections

(ZENIT News / Rome, 07.21.2026).- The disappearance of an elderly Catholic bishop, a sweeping new report on global Christian persecution and President Daniel Ortega’s declaration that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections together paint a troubling picture of a country where political repression and restrictions on religious freedom appear increasingly intertwined.

At the center of the growing international concern is Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata of Estelí, one of the most respected voices in the Nicaraguan Church, whose whereabouts remain unknown weeks after his detention by authorities. Friends, fellow clergy and human rights advocates say they have received no proof that the 80-year-old prelate is safe, despite government claims that he has returned home.

Martha Patricia Molina, a leading researcher on religious persecution in Nicaragua, has described the bishop’s disappearance as a possible «crime against humanity,» arguing that his incommunicado status constitutes a case of enforced disappearance. She notes that neither those closest to Bishop Mata nor the wider Catholic community have been able to establish contact with him, an especially alarming situation given his fragile health. The retired bishop suffers from diabetes, vision problems and a heart condition requiring a pacemaker.

The concern extends well beyond the Catholic community.

The bishops of Central America have appealed to the Ortega-Murillo government to allow Bishop Mata to receive medical attention and to provide credible proof that he remains alive and in adequate health. Exiled Nicaraguan priest Father Edwing Román has likewise called for immediate evidence of life, pointing to what he describes as official silence and contradictory government statements.

The government has offered only a limited explanation.

In a statement issued on July 4, Nicaragua’s Interior Ministry said Bishop Mata had been questioned regarding the origin of certain properties and family connections that allegedly did not correspond with his priestly status. According to the authorities, he was later allowed to return to his residence «in perfect condition.» The statement, however, did not identify the properties under investigation, explain why he had been detained or provide independent confirmation of his current condition.

For many Nicaraguans, those assurances have done little to ease fears.

Several priests living in exile argue that the bishop’s detention reflects a broader pattern rather than an isolated incident. One anonymous priest observed that even praying publicly for the persecuted Church or for Nicaraguans forced into exile can now expose clergy to retaliation. Another described today’s Nicaragua as a place where priests continue to exercise ministry under constant uncertainty, warning that virtually anyone can be detained without warning.

Bishop Mata occupies a unique place in the country’s recent history.

After serving as Bishop of Estelí for more than three decades, from 1990 until his retirement in 2021, he became widely known for defending human rights, speaking on social issues and criticizing abuses of power. Former Nicaraguan ambassador Arturo McFields has described him as one of the last fearless ecclesiastical voices still inside Nicaragua, suggesting that his moral authority has made him an uncomfortable figure for the government.

His disappearance comes as a newly published Global Persecution Index by International Christian Concern portrays Nicaragua as one of the countries where conditions for Christians have deteriorated most significantly.

According to the report, more than 388 million Christians worldwide—roughly one in every seven believers—live under high levels of persecution or discrimination because of their faith. Nicaragua appears alongside countries such as Nigeria, Syria and India as a nation where religious freedom faces growing pressure.

The report argues that the Nicaraguan government has systematically targeted religious life by detaining or forcing into disappearance hundreds of priests, religious sisters and other Church workers, while increasing surveillance of sermons, monitoring independent religious organizations and tightening control over faith-based communications.

To address those abuses, International Christian Concern urges governments to accelerate asylum procedures for exiled clergy, strengthen assistance for parishes and civil society organizations closed by the regime and expand targeted sanctions against senior Nicaraguan officials, including President Daniel Ortega and Co-President Rosario Murillo.

The report also identifies broader forces fueling anti-Christian persecution around the world, including religious nationalism, authoritarian government control over religious communities, terrorism, transnational repression and legal restrictions that undermine freedom of conscience. Yet it also notes a striking paradox: despite mounting pressure, Christian communities continue to grow in some of the world’s most hostile environments, while many believers respond to repression with remarkable resilience rather than surrender.

Developments inside Nicaragua have reinforced concerns that the political climate may become even more restrictive.

Speaking during celebrations marking the forty-seventh anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, President Ortega declared that Nicaragua would not hold elections again, insisting that opposition parties supported by foreign interests would never be permitted to regain power. His remarks represented one of the clearest public rejections yet of competitive electoral politics.

The announcement came against a backdrop of growing international criticism.

Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Ortega-Murillo government as «an enemy of humanity» while announcing visa restrictions on more than one hundred Nicaraguan officials accused of implementing the regime’s repressive policies. Analysts have argued that Nicaragua has become strategically important to China, Russia and Iran, strengthening the government’s international position despite increasing diplomatic isolation from many Western democracies.

The concentration of power has accelerated steadily over the past two decades.

After returning to office in 2007, Ortega benefited from constitutional and judicial changes that eliminated presidential term limits. His wife, Rosario Murillo, first became vice president and later, following constitutional reforms adopted in 2025, assumed the newly created position of co-president. A subsequent United Nations human rights report alleged that senior officials established parallel structures to divert public funds, finance repression and coordinate systematic human rights violations against perceived opponents.

Within that broader context, Bishop Mata’s disappearance has acquired significance beyond the fate of one individual.

For many observers, it has become a symbol of the shrinking space available to independent moral voices inside Nicaragua. Throughout modern history, the Catholic Church has often served as one of the few institutions capable of speaking publicly on behalf of those without political power. When bishops, priests and religious communities become targets of intimidation, many human rights advocates argue, the issue is no longer confined to internal Church affairs but reaches the wider question of whether civil society itself can continue to function freely.

That is why calls for proof of Bishop Mata’s well-being continue to multiply.

Whether they come from bishops, exiled priests, international organizations or foreign governments, they all rest on the same principle: regardless of political disagreements, every person has the right to liberty, due process and humane treatment.

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