Under the yoke of the Ortega-Murillo regime, Nicaragua is sinking into systematic oppression against the Catholic Church and Christian communities. Priests, now under surveillance, have their phones inspected and their movements controlled, while their homilies are reduced to purely theological commentary, under threat of reprisal. Any reference to the Church's social doctrine or criticism of the government is prohibited, reports the newspaper Mosaico CSI.
According to information corroborated by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), authorities require detailed weekly reports on pastoral activities, prohibiting clergy from leaving their parish without permission. Religious processions and marches are banned, while infiltrated informants track the content of prayers and sermons. "Speaking of unity, justice, or mentioning political prisoners is equivalent to a crime," denounces a CSW report documenting 222 violations of religious freedom in 2024, including 46 arbitrary arrests.
Among the victims, two Catholic laywomen, Carmen María Saenz Martinez and Lesbia del Socorro Gutierrez Poveda, languish in detention without contact with their families. Evangelical pastor Efren Antonio Vílchez Lopez, imprisoned since 2022 for denouncing the regime's violence, is deprived of his Bible, natural light, and medicine. "He barely receives one glass of water per day," specifies the document, illustrating a calculated cruelty.
Even children are targeted. In January, a 13-year-old girl was intercepted by police while on her way to Mass in the north of the country. "Why do you go to church so often?" they asked her before letting her go. "The police monitor everything, even the smallest ones," shares Rosa, a catechist who witnessed the intimidation.
Catholic voices are urging the regime to release prisoners of conscience, restore Nicaraguan citizenship to those arbitrarily exiled, and return legal status to the 5,000 dissolved organizations. The unfreezing of bank accounts belonging to religious and university charitable works is also demanded.
By persecuting the Church, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo reveal their fear in the face of unwavering faith. In the shadow of prisons and monitored churches, the light of hope endures, carried by the faithful ready to sacrifice everything for their freedom to believe.