“Latin America – the most Catholic region in the planet – is at the same time a region that is very susceptible to slipping into authoritarian regimes. And they don't like to be opposed or defended by the weak and persecuted – says Dr Przemysław Komorowski from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
“Nicaragua has released 2 more priests”, “Nicaragua: the Ortega government has begun anti-Catholic harvests. Another 8 priests and 1 deacon were imprisoned. The celebration must not take place"; "Nicaragua: left-wing authorities ban the procession of the Cross and thousands of Lenten celebrations"—they are only a fewer titles of news about the persecution of Christians by the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua in 2024. Why are Christians there present “enemies No. 1”?
Answering the shortest – due to the fact that the Catholic Church is simply a strong, crucial organization that has authority there and can supply a basis for persecuted inhabitants. delight note that media reports mainly concern representatives of the organization Church – episcopals, priests, spiritual sisters, they are the ones Ortega hits.
For years, the leader of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega – colloquially speaking – lived well with the Church, and the episcopate there supported him, among others, for introducing a ban on abortion or taking a church wedding. What happened, and erstwhile did the persecution of Christians happen in Nicaragua today?
It's true, after years of comparative calm and, 1 can say, correct relations between the authorities and the Church, the tightening of the course came in 2018. It was then that Ortega introduced increases in social safety contributions, which met with protests by citizens. However, the criminal consequence of the government authorities was crucial, police fired on protesters, many people died. As 1 of the Polish missionaries in Nicaragua, Fr Gabriel Szewczyk, reported, hospitals were banned from helping injured people. And in this context, the Church became involved, defending the victims and calling for earlier presidential elections. This, of course, has upset Ortega and since then, can be said to wage a regular war with the Catholic Church.
After all, we had to deal, among others, with the arrest of Bishop Roland Alvarez and the conviction of him to 26 years in prison, the expulsion of hundreds of people associated with the Church – including the Apostolic Nuncio, the confiscation of church property – orders, schools. In 2024 Nicaragua besides broke diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
Is it not that Ortega has always been an enemy of the Church, and the fact that persecution of Christians in Nicaragua began all over the past years is the consequence that he needed the support of bishops and priests in coming to power and introducing dictatorship?
Of course, it can't be ruled out. If we were to analyse the form of Ortega, from the first years of his socio-political activity he has been associated with leftist movements (although he supposedly graduated from a Jesuit school). As early as the 1980s, erstwhile Ortega first came to power, president Reagan fought him as a Marxist. It is surely a determined figure, capable of achieving its goals and moving in politics. After all, he gave up power in 1990, then in opposition he took part in the Democratic presidential elections in 1996 and 2001, losing twice. He did not return to power until 2007, and so did the democratic elections. It may have been assumed that it was so a politician who began to respect the rules of the democratic game of the world.
A Church in all this? It is hard to measure the motivations – the fact is that Ortega inactive contributed to the introduction of the law prohibiting abortion in Nicaragua in 2006.
Ortega can number on the large favour of any anti-American communities that... agree with him. For these environments, the bishops of Nicaragua are actually "American agents" who are funded by Washington and are intended to overthrow the Ortega... How would you comment?
Well... Latin America has been an area of clash between the American planet and the Marxist revolution for decades. Ortega will, of course, have the support of allies from Cuba or Venezuela. This kind of communicative can be utilized by authorities to delegate criticism and establish their own position. All the more so now, erstwhile we experience the “swinging” of the planet in many places, the rhetoric about American agents is easy to apply.
In Nicaragua, the authoritative cult of Ortega was introduced as “saviour of the nation”. What does this cult look like in practice? Can we talk about the mention to Stalin's cult, the “father of the nation”?
The president's wife and vice president Rosario Murillo play an crucial function here. It is known for its colourful and mystical style, in which political rhetoric frequently mixes with quasi-religious references. For example, in the public space there are immense portraits of Ortega and Murillo, as well as installations promoting them as “saviors” and “defensors of the revolution”. They are frequently accompanied by slogans that item their function as “saviors of the nation” and followers of the Sandinist Revolution, specified as “Daniel, líder de la paz!” (“Daniel, leader of peace!”).
Nicaraguan authorities combine the cult of Ortega with the symbolism of the Sandinist Revolution of the 1970s. Ortega is portrayed as a continuationr of the conflict for independency and defender of the poor. Murillo, in turn, introduces mystical elements, referring to religious, esoteric and national symbols, creating an aura of almost sacred mission of power. The Nicaragua educational strategy promotes the imagination of Ortega as a national hero. The curriculum takes into account the communicative glorifying his regulation and the Sandinist revolution, while ignoring criticism or alternate interpretations of history.
Of course, the authorities control public media, which act as propaganda. Television, radio and press are utilized to advance the image of Ortega and Murillo as leaders who guarantee the stableness and safety of the country in the face of "external threats".
Are akin actions taken against Christians by authorities in another Latin American countries? If so, why aren't they spoken as loudly as Nicaragua?
Latin America – the most Catholic region in the planet – is at the same time a region that is very susceptible to slipping into authoritarian regimes. And those do not like to be opposed to them, or to stand up for the weak and persecuted. For example, in Venezuela, the Catholic Church has repeatedly criticized Nicolás Maduro for corruption, human rights violations and the worsening economical crisis, which has faced repression against clergymen and restrictions on ecclesiastical activity. In Cuba, the Church has been operating under strict state control for decades and its criticism of the authorities has been suppressed by various means, including by limiting access to the media and public space.
However, it is not just these two, most likely the most apparent countries. Mexico has late been called the “dangerous place to be a priest” in the world. The country's been in an interior war with the drug mob for about 2 decades. For preaching against drug barons, and for defending defenseless groups of the population, dozens of priests and 1 cardinal were murdered. global organizations specified as the Latin American Observatory of spiritual Freedom or Alliance defence Freedom (ADF) besides indicate strict government actions that are geared towards making life miserable for Christians. In early 2022, 4 priests were found guilty of violating Article 130 of the Mexican Constitution for making statements containing their opinions on socio-political events and calling on the faithful to vote according to their beliefs. Priests were condemned by the ruling political party, judged before the tribunal and found guilty of ‘criminalities’ of political statements.
The situation is akin in Colombia. And here we come to an answer to Mr. Editor's question – we do not talk about these situations so loudly, due to the fact that they are frequently not media attractive cases. The actions of Ortega and Murillo towards the Church are more drastic and spectacular – closing Catholic institutions, arresting bishops and priests, or exile of friars origin an global shock. Additionally, Nicaragua is comparatively tiny isolated from the planet compared to Cuba, for example, which allows for a better flow of information about events in this country.
God bless the conversation.
Tomasz D. Kolanek
