The President Versus the Pope

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Predominantly Catholic Nicaragua said it plans to suspend relations with the Vatican, days after Pope Francis strongly criticized the government of President Daniel Ortega for its crackdown on the Catholic clergy, the Associated Press reported.

The Nicaraguan foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday suggesting ties were being suspended. Vatican sources said that there was a request from the Central American country to close both diplomatic missions.

The move follows an interview with Pope Francis by an Argentine media outlet last week in which the pontiff compared the Nicaraguan government to a communist or Nazi dictatorship led by an “unbalanced” president.

He also criticized Nicaragua’s decision last month to sentence prominent Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez to 26 years in prison.

The pope’s comments came as relations between Nicaragua and the Vatican have been worsening since 2018. At the time, the Latin American nation was gripped by large anti-government protests over a controversial social security reform plan.

The government launched a violent crackdown that left 355 people dead, more than 2,000 injured and 1,600 detained at various times, according to human rights organizations.

Some Catholic leaders sheltered protesters in their churches, prompting Ortega to declare figures who were sympathetic to the opposition as “terrorists.”

Since then, dozens of religious figures have been detained or have fled Nicaragua. Officials also expelled two congregations of nuns, including the Missionaries of Charity order founded by Mother Teresa.

Last month, Ortega ordered the release of 222 Nicaraguans, who were then forcibly exiled to the United States. The released individuals included church personnel, such as Bishop Álvarez.

His sentencing came after the bishop refused to board the plane and was subsequently jailed.