Nicaraguan police prevented the bishop from entering the church to celebrate Mass as usual. Instead, Bishop Álvarez exposed the Blessed Sacrament outside.
Newsroom (09/08/2022 18:00, Gaudium Press) In the Diocese of Matagalpa, at the Diocesan Curia in Nicaragua, Bishop Rolando Alvarez, bishop of that jurisdiction, spoke out on behalf of the Church and the faithful of the diocese:
“Like every Thursday, I was preparing to celebrate the Eucharist in my chapel with two boys from the choir, two seminarians, and two priests, but the boys were prevented from entering the church,” reports the Bishop.
The seat of the Curia was once again surrounded by police, in the midst of a storm of harassment by Daniel Ortega’s regime of this diocese in these last few days. This past Monday, the regime ordered the closure of Church radio stations in this diocese and, that same day, the execution of the order began, and on some occasions, with violence.
“I came out and there was already a group of faithful who were practicing Adoration to the Lord (in the Blessed Sacrament) – continues Monsignor Álvarez – [the police officers] were searching their things, they were asking for their identity cards, but they were not letting them in; and when I came out there was already a group of faithful singing to the Lord, so I ordered to bring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament out so that we could pray here, to bless the faithful,” he stressed.
For almost an hour the Bishop remained praying and encouraging the faithful outside the church, although the police set up a siege to prevent more of the faithful from approaching. “We will not fall prey to provocation, but neither will we remain without worshipping the Lord and praying together with God’s faithful people. If necessary, the Eucharist and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be in the street, because Jesus Christ “is the Lord of Nicaragua,” he said.
“May they let us celebrate our Eucharist freely, may they not continue with this. We do not harm them. If we don’t do anything to them, why do they want to besiege us? What will happen from now on? What will happen to the Curia of Matagalpa?” he expressed.
After praying and singing with the faithful, Bishop Álvarez returned to the door of the church, when he was at last permitted entrance with his entourage; he was then able to celebrate Mass. During the Eucharist, he invited the faithful to celebrate this Thursday “the Holy Hour for the sanctification and protection of priests in the Cathedral of Matagalpa, and then the Holy Eucharist at 5:30 p.m.”.
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
