QCOSTARICA – The bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica expressed their solidarity and sorrow for the sentence of 26 years in prison by the Daniel Ortega regime to the Bishop of Nicaragua, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez.
One day after he refused to leave Nicaragua among the 222 political prisoners released and sent to Washington, he was sentenced by the judicial authorities of the Central American country, for a series of crimes that include “treason against the homeland”, “undermining of national integrity” and for “spreading false news.”
Read more: Ortega banishes 222 political prisoners from Nicaragua
After rejecting the measure of Daniel Ortega he was transferred to the La Modelo prison and sentenced the following day by the swift Sandinista justice.
Lisandra Chaves, spokesperson for Costa Rica’s episcopal conference, indicated that the bishops pray for the persecution in Nicaragua to stop.
Read more: “We must not get used to violence” Bishops in Costa Rica warn
For his part, Pope Francis expressed his concern and sadness for the situation in Nicaragua.
“I have been very saddened by the news that comes from Nicaragua and I cannot help but remember here with concern the Bishop of Matagalpa, Msgr. Rolando Álvarez, whom I love so much, sentenced to 26 years in prison, and also the people who were deported in the United States,” affirmed Pope Francis after the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
