AMERICA/NICARAGUA - Apostolic Nuncio visits political prisoners and listens to their concerns and hopes

Tuesday, 12 March 2019 political prisoners   social situation   politics   local churches  

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Managua (Agenzia Fides) - The Apostolic Nuncio in Nicaragua, Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, accompanied by Mgr. Andrea Piccioni, secretary of the Nunciature, visited the Women's Penitentiary and the Jorge Navarro National Penitentiary, better known as "La Modelo", on March 11 to meet with political prisoners. The Nunciature published a statement, sent to Fides, with the names of the 16 inmates who met with Mgr. Sommertag. After the list of names, the statement continues: "The Nuncio had a personal, sincere and open conversation with each of the prisoners, and listened carefully to their words, concerns and hopes. He also recalled the importance of prayer, to feel the closeness of God, with hearts full of confidence and animated in the search for true peace".
Meanwhile, the National Dialogue, in which the Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua (CEN) will not participate as it believes that this is the duty of the laity (see Fides, 09/03/2019), is still waiting to resume work.
Fides received messages of solidarity with the position of the CEN, which reaffirms the closeness of the priests to the suffering of the Nicaraguan people even though there is not a direct participation in political events. Among them the priests of the diocese of Granada wanted to publicly express their support for CEN: "We thank our Priests for their closeness, witness and fidelity to the prophetic work in this historic moment in our country", reads the statement sent to Fides , which continues: "We want to emphasize the example of communion with God, between you and with the people, always attentive to justice, truth, freedom, peace and the common good".
The Nicaraguan crisis started in April last year when students took to the streets to defend the rights of pensioners, who were brutally beaten during a peaceful march in order to defend their right to a fair pension. This event sparked the national crisis and the terrible repression against the students, causing a high number of deaths and more than 600 political prisoners. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 12/3/2019)


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