The Vice President of Nicaragua has said, "those who are bitter disappear." Is that what has happened to Bishop Alvarez? He has been an outspoken critic of Nicaraguan's president Daniel Ortega's government which has resulted in his arrest. The government has repressed human rights, including religion. According to Ortega's spokespeople, the church is carrying out acts of hatred against the population, causing an atmosphere of anxiety, disorder, disturbing the peace and harmony in the community with the purpose of destabilizing the Nicaraguan government and attack the country's constitution.
The Nicaraguan media says that the bishop is in prison awaiting trial. The bishop plans to answer hate with love and is calm with the peace that only the resurrected Christ can provide.
This situation reminds me of the book I recently reviewed, The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. The same situation occurred in Mexico, 1926--, known as the Cristero War. The Mexican Government tried to violently repress the Catholic Church. The aftermath was felt for years. From Wiki:
The effects of the war on the Church were profound. Between 1926 and 1934, at least 40 priests were killed.There were 4,500 priests serving the people before the rebellion, but by 1934, there were only 334 licensed by the government to serve 15 million Catholics. The rest had been eliminated by emigration, expulsion, and assassination. In 1935, 17 states had no priests.[57]
The end of the Cristero War affected emigration to the United States. "In the aftermath of their defeat, many of the Cristeros – by some estimates as much as 5 percent of Mexico's population – fled to America.
What will be the aftermath of a Nicaraguan repression? Where will the people go? When will the government find peace?
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