Recent Arrests and Expulsions Shake Church in Nicaragua

On a troubling weekend for the Church in Nicaragua, authorities made several arrests targeting clergymen and pastoral workers, only days after eight others were forcibly expelled and sought refuge in Rome.

Reports from independent media sources revealed that Fr. Leonel Balmaceda, the parish priest of Jesús de Caridad parish in La Trinidad, Estelí, along with Carmen Sáenz, a pastoral collaborator from Matagalpa, were detained on Saturday. The following day, Fr. Denis Martínez, vicar of the Cathedral Parish in Matagalpa, was also arrested by the police.

This crackdown comes shortly after seven Nicaraguan priests were expelled from their homeland and found sanctuary in Rome on August 8th. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) expressed relief at their release on social media, urging people to celebrate their freedom while condemning the ongoing violations of religious freedom in Nicaragua.