In a significant escalation of repression, the Nicaraguan government, led by President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, has revoked the legal status of more than 25 Catholic organizations, marking yet another attack on civil society and religious freedom in the country.
The closures, announced on August 19 by the Ministry of the Interior, are part of a broader strategy to dismantle nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the country, with the government targeting 1,500 groups, including religious orders, Protestant churches, civic organizations, and even cultural associations such as the National Chess Federation.
OSV News explained that among the Catholic institutions targeted were well-known religious orders such as the Franciscans, Carmelites, Augustinians, and Trappists, as well as diocesan Caritas chapters and lay Catholic groups such as the Salesian Cooperators and the Padre Pio Foundation.
The impact of these closures is profound, especially in regions where these organizations provided essential services to the most vulnerable, including food, education, and spiritual support.
Targeting any independent source of influence
The regime’s crackdown is not limited to Catholics.
Evangelical communities, previously considered less politically active, have also faced severe repression. Independent media report that more than 420 Christian organizations, including evangelical churches, have lost their legal status. The targeting of these groups underscores the Ortega regime’s desire to suppress any independent source of influence or support in the country, with state control extending even to charitable activities.
The government’s justification for these closures centers on allegations of financial misreporting, with the Ministry of the Interior claiming that the affected NGOs had failed to submit proper financial reports for periods ranging from one to 35 years. However, critics argue that this is merely a pretext for seizing the assets of these organizations and stifling any form of dissent or independent activity.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been under increasing pressure since 2018, when widespread protests against Ortega’s rule were met with brutal repression. Priests, bishops, and lay people have been spied on, harassed, and exiled.
Martha Patricia Molina, an exiled lawyer documenting the persecution of the Church, reports that nearly 250 clergy have been forced to leave the country since 2018, with significant losses in dioceses such as Matagalpa, Estelí, and Siuna.
The closure of Catholic organizations is a stark reminder of the broader repression of religious life in Nicaragua, where the faithful are increasingly isolated and the Church’s role in society is being systematically dismantled by a regime that brooks no opposition.
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