Regime That Called Pope a ‘Mobster’ Blames Strained Vatican Ties on ‘Manipulation’

The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, which previously described Pope Francis as part of a “mafia” and a “perfect dictatorship,” issued a statement on the death of the high-ranking Catholic Church official, blaming “manipulations” and “adverse circumstances” for its strained relationship with the Vatican.

The statement, titled “On Pope Francis”, was addressed to Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes and the Church in Nicaragua, and was signed by the dictators Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.

In the communiqué, the ruling couple acknowledges the “tensions” in their relationship with the Holy See—while remaining silent on the regime’s persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.

“Our relationship, as Nicaraguans who are believers, devoted, and faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ, was difficult and troubled—unfortunately influenced by painful and adverse circumstances that were not always understood,” they acknowledge.

The dictators note that they were able to “recognize the distance, and above all, the complicated and disrupted communication that prevented us from having the best relationship.”

“We also came to understand the confusion stirred up by strident voices that hindered every attempt at genuine interaction,” they add.

In the text they recall that the Argentinean was the first pope of “our Caribbean America” and that he was called Francis “in admiration and commitment to the profound teachings of St. Francis of Assisi”.

“We admire his travels around the world promoting peace, and trying to generate a Church committed to the duty and responsibility of creating harmony, from the indispensable Christian solidarity and brotherhood,” they say.

Strained relations

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.

“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 said on February 21, 2023, during 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.