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🇭🇳 Honduras /Elections & Politics

Nicaraguan Bishop Condemns Dictators Who Invoke Jesus to Cement Their Power

From Proceso Digital · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency New plan
  • Bishop Silvio Báez criticized dictatorships that invoke Jesus and religion to legitimize their power, speaking during a homily from a church in the United States.
  • His remarks came as Nicaragua’s legislature prepares to consider a constitutional amendment barring denationalized opposition figures from elections.
  • President Daniel Ortega has extended his time in power through constitutional changes and recently said elections would not return as a way for the opposition to seize power.

Bishop Silvio Báez said dictatorships profane Jesus’ name when they invoke him from positions of power while ignoring the cross. The Nicaraguan bishop, who lives in exile, delivered the remarks during a homily at a church in the United States.

Báez has been a strong critic of the government jointly led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. He said “worn-out dictatorships” hide behind religion and claim Jesus’ authority over the people. He also accused autocrats of taking Jesus’ name for themselves to justify authoritarianism.

Every time we try to put ourselves ahead of Jesus, instead of following behind Him, we stop being His disciples and lose our way. That is why worn-out dictatorships that hypocritically hide behind religion profane the name of Jesus when they invoke Him from power and attribute to Him the dominion they exercise over the people, but they never speak of the cross.

— Silvio BáezThe exiled Nicaraguan bishop criticized dictatorships during a homily in the United States.

“Every time we try to put ourselves ahead of Jesus, instead of following behind Him, we stop being His disciples and lose our way,” Báez said. “That is why worn-out dictatorships that hypocritically hide behind religion profane the name of Jesus when they invoke Him from power and attribute to Him the dominion they exercise over the people, but they never speak of the cross.”

They appropriate Jesus’ name to legitimize their authoritarianism.

— Silvio BáezBáez described how autocrats use religious language to justify their rule.

Báez left Nicaragua in 2019 after Pope Francis ordered him to depart for security reasons. The remarks came amid a proposed constitutional change that would exclude opposition figures stripped of their nationality, who the government describes as “traitors to the homeland,” from elections.

The National Assembly is due to approve the reform in a first legislative session on Sept. 21. It must pass through two separate legislatures before taking effect. Other constitutional amendments have already extended the presidential term, moving expected general elections from November 2026 to November 2027. At a July 19 event marking the 47th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, Ortega said elections would not return as a route for the opposition to capture the government or power.

There will be no more elections here for them to try to seize the government, to seize power.

— Daniel OrtegaOrtega made the remark at a July 19 public event commemorating the Sandinista revolution.
About this summary

Originally published by Proceso Digital in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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