In a worrying development for the Church in Nicaragua, a new wave of clergy arrests has occurred. On Friday, August 2, eight priests and one deacon were detained, most of them from the Diocese of Matagalpa, according to local media. This adds to the three clergy arrested earlier in the week, bringing the total to 12 in a short period of time.
The identities of those arrested have been confirmed by independent Nicaraguan websites. The list includes Jairo Pravia, pastor of Iglesia Inmaculada Concepción; Víctor Godoy, vicar of the same church; Marlon Velásquez, administrator of Iglesia Santa Lucía; Antonio López, pastor of Nuestro Señor de Veracruz de Ciudad Darío; Deacon Erwin Aguirre of the same church; Raúl Villegas, pastor of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Matiguás; Francisco Tercero, pastor of Santa Faustina Kowalska church in Solingalpa; and Silvio Romero, pastor of San Francisco de Asís church in the diocese of Juigalpa.
As explained by Vatican News, the arrests began on July 27 with the detention of Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón, nearly 80 years old, administrator “ad omnia” of the Diocese of Estelí. This was followed on August 1 by the arrest of two other priests during the religious festival of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
In a further intensification of the crackdown, Father Jarvin Tórrez, Rector of the Major Seminary of Philosophy of San Luis Gonzaga and pastor of the Church of Santa María de Guadalupe in Matagalpa, was arrested on August 5. His detention, along with that of Lesbia Rayo Balmaceda, a lay collaborator from a parish in Sébaco, was reported by activists and human rights organizations and covered by the national newspaper La Prensa.
The escalating arrests affect mainly clergy from the Diocese of Matagalpa, whose bishop, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, was exiled on January 14. The Church in Nicaragua has faced increasing pressure and hostility from the government, culminating in Nicaragua’s request in March that the Holy See close its diplomatic offices – although diplomatic relations were not completely severed.
Despite the gravity of these developments, the Nicaraguan authorities have remained silent, providing no official information on the reasons or locations of the arrests. This silence only deepens the crisis, leaving the Church and its followers in a state of uncertainty and fear.
As the situation unfolds, the international community is watching closely with growing concern for religious freedom and human rights in Nicaragua. The Church remains a central institution in the country, and these arrests represent a significant challenge to its stability and influence in the region.
