Church in Nicaragua: “As long as we can get on our knees and raise our hands in prayer to God, we shall not be paralyzed by fear.”
The government has forbidden the Stations of the Cross and Holy Week processions, but the faithful remain united around the Eucharist during this Lenten season.
“This period of persecution is a time of penitence. In Nicaragua, we are living in terror, fear, and anguish. Psychologists here say the whole population is suffering from the same,” says Maria, a Nicaraguan lay woman [whose name has been changed for fear of reprisals], speaking to international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Worse than in the 80s
As the government intensifies its efforts to silence the Church in Nicaragua, “demonstrations of popular piety such as the Way of the Cross or processions have been forbidden and can no longer go from parishes out into the streets, as has always happened before,” she says.
In Nicaragua, religion is very strong in popular culture. Public processions through urban neighbourhoods and in the countryside have been a way for the faithful to strengthen and live out their faith ever since Christianity first reached this Central American country. Yet for the first time in the country’s history, the government has limited these demonstrations of faith in a way that did not even happen during the worst times of the dictatorship in the 80s. According to other local sources—whose identities will not be disclosed for security reasons—police officers have been knocking on parish doors to personally inform people about the prohibition, which is yet another measure aimed at discouraging the faithful.
However, the response of the Nicaraguan faithful to this ‘Way of the Cross’ the country is currently experiencing has been to find personal ways of uniting themselves to the cross. “Nonetheless, we continue to search for ways of penance, the sacrament of Confession, praying the Way of the Cross in our homes, in the parishes, going to Mass on Sunday… We also gather for prayer over Zoom and WhatsApp, or by watching sermons on YouTube or Facebook. As a people, we continue to have faith in our God,” says Maria.
Fearing accusations of civil disobedience, many priests have limited the scope of their activities and their sermons. The bishops have been publicly accused by the president of promoting death in Nicaragua, been called sons of the devil and, in recent days, on national radio, he labelled Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for refusing to abandon the country, “arrogant” and an “idiot.”
The situation in the Dioceses of Matagalpa and Estelí, both of which were under the care of Bishop Álvarez and are being closely watched, is very difficult. According to reports gathered by ACN, Catholics throughout the entire country live in fear that their priests and bishops might be arrested and deported.
Besides the diocesan clergy, members of religious orders are also suffering from the consequences of the government’s policy to silence the Church. After the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, were expelled from the country, other female religious orders, such as the Trappists or a group of religious sisters from Puerto Rico, have decided to leave Nicaragua, due to the pressure from the State. According to ACN sources, in many cases, the government has been blocking religious orders from accepting donations to carry out their charitable work and care for the neediest citizens, as well as denying residence permits or revoking the Nicaraguan citizenship of missionaries who had already obtained it.
Nicaraguan Catholics are experiencing the situation with sadness, pain, and a feeling of impotence. Yet, despite all the difficulties, churches, and particularly chapels with perpetual adoration continue to be visited by the faithful. “Despite all the harassment in our parishes, our devotion remains very strong. Nicaraguans have three great loves: Jesus in the Eucharist, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and our shepherds (the Holy Father, the bishops, and the priests). Our prayers are with them,” Maria tells ACN. “We are not paralyzed by terror. We are confident that the cries of the people will be heard by God. As long as we can get on our knees and raise our hands in prayer to God, to whom all things are possible, we shall not be paralyzed by fear,” concludes this young Nicaraguan Catholic.
