21 de April 2025
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Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21, 2025, in the Vatican, had taken a critical stance in recent years toward the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo in Nicaragua, denouncing the repression and persecution of the Catholic Church. This persecution included the exile or expulsion of three bishops, more than 130 priests, over 90 nuns, and several seminarians. Additionally, it involved the prohibition of processions, the cancellation of social programs and universities, and the confiscation of properties, among other retaliations.
Pope Francis made calls for peace, dialogue and respect for human rights, which were ignored by the dictatorship that, in return, referred to the Church as a mafia.
““They present themselves as saints, they present themselves as representatives of God, but no. They have not fulfilled that principle of representing God, much less representing Christ… Not by the example given by bishops, cardinals, and popes who are a mafia,”,” Ortega accused on February 21, 2023, in an official act in Managua.
“Who elects the Pope? How many votes does the Pope get among the Christian people? If we are going to talk about democracy, the people should elect, first and foremost, the priests of the people (…) Let it be the people who decide and not the mafia that is organized in the Vatican,” insisted Ortega.
Call for “open and sincere dialogue”
On August 21, 2022, during the Angelus prayer, the Pope expressed his “concern” for the situation in Nicaragua, calling for dialogue and respect for peaceful coexistence. His statements came at a time of escalating tensions between the dictatorship and the Catholic Church, which that month besieged and imprisoned the bishop of Matagalpa, several priests and collaborators of the Diocese of Matagalpa, who were later banished.
The pope then urged “an open and sincere dialogue” to find “the basis for a respectful and peaceful coexistence.”
“I would like to express my conviction and desire that, through an open and sincere dialogue, it will still be possible to find the basis for a respectful and peaceful coexistence,” said the pontiff, who asked the intercession of the Immaculate Conception to inspire such a will.
Pope confessed sorrow for Bishop Rolando Álvarez
On February 12, 2023, during the Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis lamented the sentencing to prison of Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, bishop of the Diocese of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Esteli, and encouraged political leaders to “sincerely seek” peace in Nicaragua.
The pontiff’s message came three days after the Ortega Murillo dictatorship banished 222 political prisoners to the United States and condemned and denationalized Bishop Alvarez, who at the time refused to leave Nicaragua.
“The news coming from Nicaragua has pained me deeply, and I cannot but remember with concern the bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, whom I love very much, sentenced to 26 years in prison and also the people who have been deported to the United States,” Pope Francis said.
The regime ordered to strip the religious leader of his nationality – after declaring him a “traitor to the homeland” – as it did with the political prisoners exiled on February 9, 2023.
The pontiff, leaning out of the window of the Apostolic Palace, said he is praying for them and “for all those who suffer in that beloved nation” and asked for the prayers of the faithful listening to him from St. Peter’s Square.
“Let us also ask the Lord for the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary so that she may open the hearts of political leaders and all citizens to the sincere search for peace, which is born of truth, justice, freedom and love,” he said.
“Nicaragua is like the Hitlerian dictatorship.”
On March 10, 2023, in an interview with the Argentinean media Infobae, Pope Francis described the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua as a “Hitlerian dictatorship,” and about its top leader, Daniel Ortega, he stated—”with much respect”—that he suffers from a “mental imbalance.” At the same time, he praised the imprisoned bishop Rolando Álvarez, saying, “He wanted to give his testimony and did not accept exile.”
For the first time, the Supreme Pontiff spoke out strongly about the situation in Nicaragua, a stance that many sectors in Nicaragua had been urging the Holy Father to take.
The Pope said that the situation in Nicaragua ‘is something beyond what we’re experiencing; it’s like trying to bring back the communist dictatorship from 1917 or the Nazi dictatorship from 1935.’”
“They are a type of crude dictatorship. Or, to use a nice term from Argentina, ‘guarangas,’ [vulgar]” the pontiff added.
The message on New Year’s Day 2024
At the 2024 New Year’s Mass, Pope Francis expressed his concern for the situation in Nicaragua, reiterating his closeness to the imprisoned priests and the Nicaraguan Church in prayer.
“I follow with concern all that is happening in Nicaragua, where bishops and priests have been deprived of their freedom. I convey to them, to their family and to the whole Church of the country my closeness in prayer,” he said from the window of the Apostolic Palace after praying the first Angelus of the year 2024.
He urged “insistent prayer” to the faithful listening to him from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican and “to all the people of God.”
He added, “in the meantime, I hope that the path of dialogue will always be sought to overcome the difficulties. We pray today for Nicaragua”.
Pope Francis’ pastoral letter to Nicaragua
On December 2, 2024, Pope Francis addressed a pastoral letter to the people of Nicaragua, expressing his closeness and support in the face of the crisis in the country, to send a message of hope to the Nicaraguan people.
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ of the beloved Church in Nicaragua: For some time I have wanted to write you a pastoral letter to reiterate, once again, the affection I profess for the Nicaraguan people,” wrote the pontiff, on the occasion of the pilgrimage of the Novena of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which is celebrated every December 8.
“I am with you, especially in these days when you are celebrating the Novena of the Immaculate Conception,” the Pope added.
Calls for truth, justice and harmony for Nicaragua
On December 25, 2024, the Pope called on political authorities for solutions to promote social harmony throughout the Americas and in particular in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua, during his Christmas message from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday, December 25.
“May the Child Jesus inspire the political authorities and all people of good will on the American continent to find as soon as possible effective solutions in truth and justice, to promote social harmony, particularly in Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua,” the Pope asked.
He added: “May we work, especially during this Jubilee Year, to build the common good and rediscover the dignity of each person, overcoming political divisions”.
Sustained concern about Nicaragua
On January 25, 2025, the Pope took advantage of an audience with the President of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, to “express his solidarity and support for the cause of Panama for its Canal, taking into account its importance for global trade”, and also expressed “the concern of the Catholic Church about the political situation in Nicaragua”, according to a communiqué from the Panamanian presidency.
“Francis expressed to President Mulino the concern of the Catholic Church about the political situation in Nicaragua and Venezuela,” the press release said.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta at 7:35 a.m. Vatican time on Monday, April 21, 2025.
Francis, who had been absent from all the Holy Week rites as he was still convalescing after his hospitalization, appeared this Sunday on the balcony of the central loggia of the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica for the Urbi et Orbi blessing.
He then toured the square in the popemobile despite his health conditions in what can now be considered his last farewell to the faithful.
