The other bishops released Saturday night were arrested in December during what became known as “Black Christmas” — a round of arrests of Catholic leaders, including Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siona. Many of them appear to have angered the government by calling for prayers for Alvarez.
The priests and bishops were released after negotiations with the Vatican, and were flown to Rome, according to a Nicaraguan government statement. Two seminarians who had been imprisoned were also included in the prisoner release. The Ortega government thanked Pope Francis and his team for the “respectful and highly confidential coordination.” It did not respond to a request from The Washington Post for further details.
Ortega launched an unprecedented attack against the Church in this predominantly Catholic country. In August, his government revoked the legal status of the Jesuit-run University of Central America and seized control of the campus. He has stripped more than 300 religious organizations of registration, including Mother Teresa's missionaries. The Vatican closed its embassy in Nicaragua last spring after the government proposed suspending relations.
During the recent Christmas holiday, the government banned traditional Catholic processions known as “posadas.” Priests say they are routinely spied on and harassed. More than 100 Catholic priests have fled, been expelled from the country, or have been banned from returning to Nicaragua. In October, the government released 12 more Catholic priests from prison and sent them to Rome, under an agreement with the Vatican.
The government “wants to leave Nicaragua without priests,” the Rev. Uriel Vallejos, an exiled priest, wrote Sunday on X, his former Twitter handle.
Ortega was the leader of the left-wing Sandinista revolution that overthrew US-backed dictator Anastasio Zomosa in 1979. The former rebel served as president of Nicaragua from 1985 until 1990 and returned to power in 2007. He was elected to a fourth consecutive term in 2022. After being imprisoned All his important competitors.
Ortega has focused his anger on the Catholic Church since 2018, when a wave of anti-government protests swept the country. He accused the church of siding with the demonstrators, an accusation the church denied.
Alvarez was placed under house arrest in August 2022. The following February, he declined an offer to join 222 political prisoners who were released and flown to Washington. His friends said he would rather remain in prison in his homeland than go into exile. He was subsequently sentenced to 26 years in prison on charges of treason and spreading false information.
His arrest was the subject of growing international concern. In November, a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “Urgent Appeal to Allow Bishop Alvarez to Depart.” The State Department designated Nicaragua a “country of particular concern” due to religious repression, and added it to a watch list that includes Cuba, North Korea, China and Iran.
The crackdown on the church and civil society organizations has contributed to high rates of illegal immigration. About 139,000 Nicaraguans were detained at the US border in 2023. A recent study by AmericasBarometer found that half the population wants to immigrate.
Ismael Lopez Ocampo in San Jose, Costa Rica, contributed to this report.
