Bishop Rolando Álvarez had been confined to his residence for two weeks along with five priests, a semanarian, and a cameraman of a religious televison channel. The priests and cameraman have reportedly been put in prison in the capital, while the Bishop is under house arrest.
A police statement said authorities had been waiting for several days for what they called a positive communication from the Diocese of Matagalpa, which had not been forthcoming. No formal charges have been announced.
Following the 2018 nationwide protests in Nicaragua, Bishop Álvarez called for free and fair elections, monitored by international observers.
The government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, initially considered mediation by the Church. But in the run up to last year’s Presidential Election, dozens of opposition politicians and seven potential Candidates were arrested. Most have since been tried and jailed.
In March, Archbishop Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, the Apostolic Nuncio to Nicaragua, was expelled.
Bishop Álvarez advocates mediation leading to peaceful solutions to help Nicaragua.
Source: Vatican News
