Nicaraguan Government’s Shock Move: Jesuits Stripped of Rights, Church Under Siege!

In Nicaragua, the unjustified aggression against the Jesuits continues in a context of widespread repression. The Central American Province of the Society of Jesus has decried the action by which the government, led by Daniel Ortega, revoked its legal status. This move is part of a systematic repression, deemed a crime against humanity, aiming at the establishment of a totalitarian regime.

The Central American Province of the Jesuits has vehemently condemned the revocation of the legal status of the Society of Jesus by the Nicaraguan authorities. This act is seen in the climate of fear in which the population lives and in a context of repression recognized as “crimes against humanity” by United Nations experts who reviewed the situation in Nicaragua.

According to the Central American Province of the Society of Jesus, this measure aims at the establishment of a totalitarian regime. The president and vice-president of Nicaragua are deemed responsible for hindering the independence and neutrality of the judiciary. The country’s leaders are called upon to halt the repression and to support a solution based on truth, justice, dialogue, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.

Moreover, full respect for the Jesuits and those who work with them is demanded. The Society of Jesus in Nicaragua expresses its solidarity with the thousands of Nicaraguan victims awaiting justice and repair from the damages caused by the current government.

Government provision 105-2023 decreed the transfer of the tangible and intangible assets of the Society of Jesus to the State. This decision was taken without following the administrative procedures established by law, denying the Jesuits the possibility of appealing to an impartial judge.

Before this recent repressive action, the Ortega government had already confiscated the Central American University of Nicaragua and the residence of the Society of Jesus in Managua. Just a few days ago marked the anniversary of the arrest of Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, who was condemned without trial. Since that time, persecutions against the Catholic Church have escalated in the country.