How hooded police evicted the Jesuits in Managua

Hooded and with weapons of war, 15 police officers raided and evicted the residence of the Jesuit community of the Central American University (UCA) in Nicaragua 20 days ago, according to a chronicle published by the Central American Province of the Society of Jesus.

The chronicle, dated September 6 and shared on September 7 with the Nicaraguan press, narrates the raid carried out by the Police on August 19 at the Villa Carmen residence, located in Managua, where six priests lived who were in charge of the UCA. The university had been closed and confiscated days before after being accused by the authorities of the Ortega regime of being a “center of terrorism”.

In the narrative, entitled “How did the confiscation of the Jesuit community of the UCA in Nicaragua take place?”, the priests described how that day they had celebrated an Eucharist and lunch to bid farewell to one of the priests who was leaving for Spain to study Theology and how upon returning to the residence “they encountered a police patrol car.”

“Upon arriving at the house, they found 15 more police in uniforms, hooded and with weapons of war,” they said.

There was emotional and psychological violence

The head of the police command asked for the priest Rolando Alvarado, rector of the UCA, who was not at the property. Meanwhile, one of the priests tried to explain that the residence did not belong to the Jesuit university “but the officer told them that it was now property of the State of Nicaragua”.

Later he told them, “they could enter their rooms to remove their personal belongings, each accompanied by two policemen with their weapons of war: one stayed at the door of the room and the other would enter with the Jesuit.”

“Although there were no blows, shouts or pushes, the priests have stated that the emotional and psychological violence of being deprived of their home in this way is something that they continue to process,” states the letter. It further notes that Father Adolfo, 99-years-old, “remained in the car still running with the air conditioning on and, therefore, he was not able to get anything out”.

Rector of the UCA went into exile

“We had already determined that Father Rolando Alvarado, rector of the UCA, had to leave the country and the day planned to do so was that same Saturday,” they explained.

According to the Jesuits, some nuns gave Alvarado and two other priests a place to stay on the outskirts of Managua so they could head “south to take Father Rolando to safety.”

“The narration of the journey is pending for another occasion, but we do want to record the support of the SJM (Jesuit Service for Migrants) of Costa Rica, who were present throughout the entire route giving us instructions,” they highlighted.

In Nicaragua, according to the note, 11 Jesuits remain “living in the San Ignacio community and imagining different scenarios of what may happen in the coming days.”

“We are aware that it is a grace that the Lord gives us the power to experience what a good part of our people are experiencing: total defenselessness in the face of the government’s abuse of power,” they stated.

Support for the political prisoners

They asked, “not to forget to pray for those who bear the brunt of this national crisis: the political prisoners, who are currently 78, and it is a list that sadly does not stop growing.”

On August 23, the Ortega regime dissolved the Nicaraguan branch of the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order to which Pope Francis belongs, and also ordered the expropriation of its assets.

This decision came a week after the Ortega regime ordered the property, bank accounts and any assets of the UCA -considered one of the last bastions of freedom of thought in Nicaragua- transferred to the State, after accusing the university of terrorism.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times.