Bishop David J. Malloy is calling on the international community to do its part to bring Nicaragua’s persecution of Catholics to a halt.

“As we continue to celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection during this Easter season, I reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the bishops, priests, faithful, and all men and women of goodwill in Nicaragua, who are suffering an intensification of the Nicaraguan Government’s religious persecution,” Malloy, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, said in a release. 

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is reported to have banned outdoor Holy Week celebrations and processions, including the traditional Good Friday and Easter processions. He justified the ban because of security concerns. These actions come after the imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa. The bishop was sentenced to 26 years in prison, stripped of his citizenship, and fined heavily on charges of treason, spreading false news, and undermining national integrity in February, according to a report by Crux. 

“The faithful have endured consistent police harassment in churches throughout Nicaragua, confiscation of property, as well as the expulsion from the country of two women religious and a priest, the latter for calling for the release of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who languishes in prison after being unjustly sentenced to 26 years in prison and stripped of his citizenship in February,” Malloy said. 

Over the past few years, the Nicaraguan government, led by Daniel Ortega, has arrested and imprisoned several Catholic leaders, including at least one bishop and multiple priests. It is suspected that these leaders were subjected to torture while in detention. The Ortega regime has also been repressing Catholic radio and television stations and has forced Catholic religious orders, such as the Missionaries of Charity, to leave the country, the Catholic News Agency reported. 

Reports indicate that the Nicaraguan government has been carrying out abusive and obstructive surveillance, prohibiting public expressions of faith, and even expelling members of the church from the country, the USCCB said.

“Despite these extreme hardships, the Nicaraguan faithful, in union with their bishops and priests, has resiliently borne witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection, as they attended Easter celebrations in record numbers," said Malloy said. 

He urged the international community to come together to help restore religious freedom in Nicaragua.

”I call on the United States Government and the entire international community to continue to work for the release of Bishop Álvarez, and for a restoration of peace and the rule of law in Nicaragua,” Malloy said. “May our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States and Nicaragua, embrace her children during this difficult time, and illumine them with the light of the risen Christ.”