Pope Francis has nominated Nicaraguan Bishop, Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, as a participant at the second session of the Synod on Synodality, which will take place from October 2 to 27, 2024, as seen in the list presented at the Vatican on September 16, 2024.
Bishop Álvarez became well-known across the world for his tireless defense of human rights and resistance of the Nicaraguan government’s repression of the Church and its opponents.
He was placed under house arrest in August 2022 and then sentenced to 26 years in prison in February 2023, after refusing to board a plane from Nicaragua to the USA with 222 political prisoners who were being exiled.
About a year later, with the help of Vatican diplomacy, Bishop Álvarez was released from prison in early 2024, and flown to Rome where he has been in exile since.
The Nicaraguan bishop has made very few public appearances since then and thus his eventual participation in the synod will be of note.
The full list of participants was released during a press conference on this upcoming event at the Holy See Press Office on September 16. Bishop Álvarez was featured in the section of the list showing those who were nominated specifically by Pope Francis.
The Synod on Synodality, the worldwide reflection and consultation process that Pope Francis launched in 2021, culminated in a general assembly at the Vatican in October 2023, and will be followed by a second and concluding session this coming October. During the press conference the organizers highlighted that the list of participants has stayed mostly the same with some changes for people who were unable to attend for health or logistical reasons. Bishop Álvarez is among these new additions.
The situation in Nicaragua
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been under increasing pressure since 2018, when widespread protests against President Daniel Ortega’s rule were met with brutal repression. Priests, bishops, and lay people have been spied on, harassed, and exiled; and Catholic congregations, institutions, and educational establishments have been closed.
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.
Pope Francis has often prayed for the situation in Nicaragua and expressed his concern. During the Angelus prayer on August 25, 2024, he said:
To the beloved people of Nicaragua: I encourage you to renew your hope in Jesus. Remember that the Holy Spirit always guides history towards higher projects. May the Immaculate Virgin protect you in times of trial and help you feel her motherly tenderness. May Our Lady accompany the beloved people of Nicaragua.
And today we celebrate...