#BreakingNews Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Nicaragua is Released to the Vatican after Over 500 Days in Detention along with Freedom for 18 other Religious


 In Nicaragua, 2 bishops Álvarez and Mora, 15 other priests and 2 seminarians have been freed. They were just welcomed by the Holy See; as confirmed by Vatican News.

The bishop of Matagalpa, detained since 2022, together with the pastor of Siuna, two seminarians and 15 other priests have been released from prison. Confirmation from the Nicaraguan government

The freed included Bishop Rolando Álvarez, was detained for over 500 days, Bishop Isidoro del Carmen Mora Ortega, two seminarians, fifteen priests. In total, 19 representatives of the Catholic Church were freed by the Nicaraguan government. The news, spread by local media, was confirmed by the Managua government. With the exception of one who remained in Venezuela, all arrived in Rome in the afternoon of January 14th and are now guests of the Holy See.

Monsignor Álvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of the diocese of Estelí, sentenced to 26 years in prison, had been in prison since February last year after having been under house arrest since August 2022. While Monsignor Mora was arrested December, 2023 .

Pope Francis made an appeal at the end of the first Angelus of 2024 for the Central American country where 14 priests and also a bishop have been arrested so far and where, since February 2022.

In the Angelus at the beginning of the year, recalling the situation of bishops and priests "deprived of freedom" in the Central American country, the Pope assured his "closeness in prayer", inviting the people of God to pray for Nicaragua, for who expressed the hope "that we always seek the path of dialogue to overcome difficulties".

Already last year, in October, 12 Nicaraguan priests were released from prison. The Holy See had accepted the request to receive them. Welcomed in Rome, the priests were housed in some structures of the Diocese.

This release was also confirmed by exiled Bishop Silvio José Báez:



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