Nicaragua regime shuts country’s largest Catholic charity

In Nicaragua, the regime of President Daniel Ortega decided on banning two universities belonging to the Catholic Church and banned the activities of the Catholic charity Caritas, the country's media reported. The closed-down universities are the John Paul II University in the country’s capital city Managua, and the Autonomous Christian University of Nicaragua (UCAN) in the city of Leon, reported the daily La Gaceta.

According to the newspaper, the Nicaraguan authorities have already approved the confiscation of the property of both universities. As reported by another newspaper, “La Prensa”, citing information from within the regime, the activities of Caritas were banned because “it lost its legal personality”.

The #Nicaragua regime closed the local branches of @iamCARITAS.

Often, Caritas, a #Catholic NGO is the only resource for the millions who live in poverty as a direct result of oppressive regimes.

Not even Maduro, in #Venezuela, dared to go this far. pic.twitter.com/j6uFkDT5No

— Ines San Martin (@inesanma) March 8, 2023

According to the Ortega regime, Caritas Nicaragua “was to dissolve voluntarily.”

Since 2019, the far-left Nicaraguan regime has been conducting a series of actions against church institutions, clergy and various Catholic organizations.

According to reports, no one in Nicaragua is allowed to post messages on social media expressing concern for Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez who has been sentenced to 26 years in prison by the socialist regime. Let's raise our voice for the bishop#FreeBishopAlvarez
Retweet pic.twitter.com/mF4UaaJokU

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) March 7, 2023

In February a court in Managua sentenced Bishop Rolando Alvarez to 26 years imprisonment. The bishop of the diocese of Matagalpa, who was critical of the regime, was convicted of spreading false news, acting to the detriment of national integrity, obstructing the orders of the authorities, and disobedience.”

En Nicaragua, el régimen de Daniel Ortega canceló la personalidad jurídica de Cáritas, la pastoral social de la iglesia católica. Además, fueron clausuradas la universidad Juan Pablo II y la Universidad Cristiana Autónoma #ConGladysRodriguez #TVVNoticias pic.twitter.com/oXjsIUJJWn

— TVV Noticias (@TVVnoticias) March 8, 2023

The hierarch, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, was also stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship The Auxiliary Bishop of Managua Silvio Baez, left the country in 2019 and was also stripped of Nicaraguan citizenship.

The Church authorities confirm that priests and people from religious congregations are furthermore systematically forced to have to leave Nicaragua as a result of government persecution.

In March, another Catholic congregation - Trappist nuns who have been serving there for 20 years, and as of July 2022 nuns from the Sisters of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta - also decided on leaving the country.

The government is also working to shut down the Catholic media, as well as mass media, where critical opinions about government policy are presented. According to human rights organizations, the Ortega regime has already expelled more than 200 journalists from Nicaragua, including numerous Catholic media workers.