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Water-Smart Agriculture: CRS' innovative approach to mitigating climate change's impact in Central America
… America, the report found that a total of 7.7 million people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua "experienced high levels of food insecurity in 2021, contributed to by factors such as … factor impacting farmers is the Central American Dry Corridor, which runs through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. According to the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture …
Pope Francis appeals for peace in Ukraine, Holy Land in Easter message
… and an inability for Christians to practice their faith freely. The pope specifically included Nicaragua in his prayers, where last month the Vatican was forced to close its embassy in the …
Vatican closes embassy in Nicaragua after Ortega's crackdown
… Selser … The Associated Press … The Vatican said March 18 it had closed its embassy in Nicaragua after the country's government proposed suspending diplomatic relations, the latest … the Nicaraguan government proposed suspending relations with the Holy See, and a year after Nicaragua forced the papal ambassador at the time to leave. It's not clear what more the proposed … including from the Missionaries of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa, were expelled from Nicaragua last year. Prominent Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez was sentenced to 26 years in …
Editorial: US church must denounce religious persecution in Nicaragua
… NCR Editorial Staff … Earlier this month, more than 200 imprisoned critics of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega were released, stripped of their citizenship and deported to … deportations of the churchmen are just part of growing persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua over the past two years. Government forces routinely harass clergy and worshippers, … for an end to this oppression, which is part of broader assaults on basic democratic rights in Nicaragua. Nicaraguan prisoners tell stories of sham trials, appropriation of their property, …
Charlotte, N.C., parish welcomes Nicaraguan priests after imprisonment, deportation to U.S.
… Liz Chandler … OSV News … Two Catholic priests imprisoned in Nicaragua since August arrived in Charlotte late Feb. 12 to hugs and tears from family and … to the United States Feb. 9. Frs. Ramiro Tijerino and Óscar Danilo Benavidez, both of Nicaragua, were among 222 political prisoners exiled from the country by President Daniel Ortega. … me, and I hope we will remember and continue to bring strength to the prisoners who remain in Nicaragua." …
Pope 'pained' by Nicaraguan bishop's 26-year prison sentence
… Justin McLellan … Catholic News Service … Just days after Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Pope Francis expressed concern over his … Angelus in St. Peter's Square Feb. 12, the pope said he was "pained" by the news coming out of Nicaragua and recalled "with concern" the situation of Álvarez, who had been arrested in August … overthrow him. In his comments the pope also noted the 222 political prisoners deported from Nicaragua to the United States Feb. 9, a group which included five priests, a deacon, two …
Nicaragua deports 222 political prisoners to U.S.; group includes Catholic priests, students, opponents of regime
… OSV News … Nicaragua has released more than 200 political prisoners, including Catholic priests, students, … for the release of political prisoners but cited a Biden administration official saying Nicaragua hoped to improve relations between the two countries. "The release of these … citizenship. Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Baez tweeted Feb. 9: "It gives me deep joy that Nicaragua’s political prisoners are out of prison. I have thanks to God for them! They never …
5 priests sentenced to 10 years for conspiracy in Nicaragua
… in a statement Feb. 7. Álvarez, the bishop, had been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaragua’s future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortega’s government led to a … on opponents. On Feb. 5, Fr. Óscar Danilo Benavidez, a priest in Mulukuku in northern Nicaragua, was sentenced for conspiracy and spreading false information. He had been arrested …
U.S. religious liberty expert 'disappointed' in Vatican-China deal
… The human rights lawyer said he also intended to discuss Christian persecution in Nigeria, Nicaragua, Egypt and Cuba with the Vatican, but the conversation stayed focused on China. Turkel …
Court rules Nicaraguan bishop charged with conspiracy will stand trial
… guarantees, and initiate a process of restoring the democratic order and the rule of law in Nicaragua." As reported by several outlets, including Catholic News Service, Álvarez came under … taken away by police Aug. 19 during a 3 a.m. raid. He was charged with conspiracy in December. Nicaragua began its most recent political and economic upheaval in 2018. According to an earlier … rhetorical, and institutional aggression and intimidation against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua," he said in the December statement. In 2022, the Nicaraguan government closed Catholic …
Migrant pleas, border realities confront President Biden in El Paso
… number of migrants fleeing political oppression and gang violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba," according to the White House. Biden's visit -- which lasted a few hours -- … February. Under an expansion of Title 42 under Biden, the rule bars migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from entering the U.S. while providing some legal paths for them to seek …
Nicaragua orders bishop to remain under house arrest
… warrant was also issued for a priest, the Rev. Uriel Vallejos, who had already reportedly left Nicaragua. The move Dec. 13 was the latest chapter in a crackdown on the church by the … which expelled the nuns from Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity religious order. In March, Nicaragua expelled the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s top diplomat in Nicaragua. Álvarez has been under house arrest since August. He had been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaragua’s future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortega’s government led to a …
CELAM document confronts the challenges of synodality
… in five countries in Central America and the Caribbean: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti." For all the economic challenges we faced in the United States, we …
Catholic leaders want Latin American church that's synodal, reaches out
… but as a guide for action in the coming years, said Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes of Managua, Nicaragua, and CELAM's second vice president. "This isn't just another document," he said, adding …
More than two dozen reported dead after Julia lashes Central America
… one day. Catholic churches there opened their doors to those seeking shelter from the storm. Nicaragua, where Julia made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane Oct. 9, reported one death, though … could do to already rising prices for food staples such as beans, coffee and plantains. In Nicaragua, where the government reported material damage, morning Mass at the cathedral in the …
Nicaragua president calls church a dictatorship, bishops 'murderers'
… call for dialogue in the Central American country. In a fiery address, Ortega took aim at Nicaragua's Catholic bishops for promoting democracy as an exit from the country's political … the perfect dictatorship. It's a tyranny, the perfect tyranny." Catholic clergy in Nicaragua have remained mostly silent as Ortega -- who won elections in 2021 after disqualifying …
Pope Francis backs Ukraine's defense, says supplying arms 'may be morally acceptable'
… responded to questions regarding the Catholic Church's strained relations with both China and Nicaragua. In August, Nicaraguan police arrested Bishop Rolando Álvarez, an outspoken critic of …
Pope voices worry over bishop's detention in Nicaragua
… D'Emilio … Associated Press … Pope Francis voiced worry on August 21 about the situation in Nicaragua, where police detained several Roman Catholic clergy, including a bishop, critical of … customary Sunday noon remarks that he was closely following with “worry and sorrow” events in Nicaragua that involve “persons and institutions.” He didn't mention the detentions. "I would … priests who were taken into custody. Álvarez has been a key religious voice in discussions of Nicaragua’s future since 2018, when a wave of protests against Ortega’s government led to a …
In predawn raid, Nicaraguan police remove bishop; his whereabouts unknown
… escalation in the repression against the Catholic Church in the Central American country. Nicaragua's National Police said in an Aug. 5 statement that the bishop was under investigation …
Explainer: Tension between Nicaragua and the Catholic Church
… Gabriela Selser … María Teresa Hernández … The Associated Press … Earlier this month, Nicaragua shuttered seven radio stations belonging to the Catholic Church and launched an … dynastic ambitions. His wife, Rosario Murillo, is his powerful vice president. Under Ortega, Nicaragua has cultivated strong ties to allies Cuba and Venezuela, two staunch foes of the U.S. … Oscar Rene Vargas told The Associated Press back then. … What role has the church played? … Nicaragua is predominantly Catholic, and the church was close to the Somozas from the 1930s until …