Nicaragua police detain bishop for hours after mass

Nicaraguan police detained 80-year-old Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata for several hours after he officiated a mass, according to religious sources. The incident occurred after the bishop, who is the emeritus bishop of Estelí, led a service where he called for prayers for the persecuted Catholic Church and for priests exiled from the country.

Silvio Báez, a Nicaraguan bishop living abroad and a vocal critic of the government, expressed his outrage on social media. He condemned the police action against Mata, describing it as an "aggression" and a sign of the "weakness and irrationality of a criminal dictatorship." Báez, who was ordered to leave Nicaragua by Pope Francis in 2019 for his safety, stated that such "cowardly actions" are characteristic of the regime.

Bishop Mata was reportedly detained on June 29, 2026, in Estelí. The detention is seen as retaliation for a mass held on June 25 at the Cruz del Calvario church. During that service, he specifically mentioned Bishop Rolando Álvarez, who was recently exiled and stripped of his nationality, and Father Frutos Valle.

Authorities claimed Bishop Mata was being investigated. After several hours, he was released but placed under surveillance at his residence in Tisma, Masaya department. The National Police have not issued an official explanation for the detention or indicated any legal proceedings against the bishop.

Relations between the Vatican and the Nicaraguan government have been severely strained. In March 2023, Pope Francis described the Ortega government as a "gross dictatorship." This followed the sentencing of Bishop Rolando Álvarez to over 26 years in prison for "treason," before his eventual exile. President Daniel Ortega has also dissolved Jesuit organizations and labeled the Church as anti-democratic.