The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference expressed its solidarity with the Nicaraguan Church for the persecution against the religious of this country

There Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) expressed its solidarity this Wednesday with the Nicaraguan Church In “these moments of difficulty that live“, which follows “particular attention”, due to the expulsion and imprisonment of clerics from the Central American country.

Through a statement, the Venezuelan bishops, together with their presbyteries, expressed their concern over the “latest events that mark the life and ministry” of the Church “in the sister nation of Nicaragua”, among which “the expulsion of priests, deacons, seminarians and religious“, in addition to the “trial and prison of dear brother Rolando Álvarez”.

Álvarez, bishop of the Nicaraguan town of Matagalpa and critic of Daniel Ortega’s regime, was sentenced last Friday to 26 years and 4 months in prison after being found guilty of crimes considered “treason”.

The bishop’s sentencing came a day after he refused to board the plane that would take him and 222 other Nicaraguan prisoners to the United States, which enraged Ortega, who called him “arrogant”, “crazy” and “energize me”.

The Venezuelan episcopate, according to the statement, asks “to God (who) changes the hearts of those who made these decisionsso that in addition to reconsidering and converting, they understand that, by divine mandate, the Church will always be faithful to the prophetic mission of announcing the word of liberation walking with her people”.

“We implore the Most Pure Virgin, Mother of God, venerated among us as María de Coromoto, her maternal protection for all of Nicaragua.“, expressed the CEV.

The Nicaraguan regime expelled the Italian priest on Tuesday Cosimo Damiano Muratoriwhom he accuses of having intervened “in a prejudicial manner in matters which concern only Nicaraguans”.

The Central American country has been going through a political and social crisis since April 2018, which worsened after the controversial general elections of November 7, 2021, in which Ortega was re-elected for a fifth term.

(With information from EFE)

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