Bishop Báez: 'Irrational and Aged Power' Deprives Nicaragua of Freedom and Future

Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Báez has strongly criticized the ruling regime in Nicaragua, denouncing an "irrational and aged power" that he says is denying the nation its freedom and future. Speaking during a Corpus Christi homily from exile in the United States, where he has lived for seven years, Báez drew parallels between the biblical Israelites' desert journey and the current plight of Nicaraguans. He described the country as a "desert" subjected to a power that stifles liberty and prospects, and also spoke of the "desert of uprooting and exile" experienced by many. Nicaragua has been governed by Daniel Ortega, an 80-year-old former Sandinista guerrilla, since 2007, amidst allegations of electoral fraud and the elimination of political opposition. Since 2017, Ortega has governed alongside his wife, Rosario Murillo. The Sandinista government faces accusations from international and national organizations of widespread human rights abuses, including the curtailment of religious freedom, freedom of association, assembly, press, and expression. Bishop Báez, who was advised by the late Pope Francis to leave Nicaragua in 2019 for security reasons, assured his congregation that God does not abandon people in their deserts but sustains them with love. In a world filled with broken promises and deceptive words, he stated that Jesus is the source of light, truth, strength, and hope. Báez contrasted this with authoritarian regimes that use fear and repression, and with "deranged" powerful figures who distort history by calling repression peace and slavery a blessing. He urged Catholics to draw strength and hope from Jesus, to trust in His love, and to allow themselves to be transformed by His teachings. He emphasized that receiving Christ in the Eucharist should inspire solidarity with the poor, respect for differing opinions, avoidance of division, and a commitment to justice.

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Let us think of the desert of our people, subjected for years to an irrational and aged power that deprives it of freedom and future; let us think of the desert of uprooting and exile, which many of us have lived.