Nicaraguan priest: ‘We sustain the people’s faith from the catacombs of prudence’

From the heart of Nicaragua, a priest in that nation says the Church is sustaining the peopleʼs faith from “the catacombs of prudence” in the face of fierce persecution by the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.

The priest, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons and to avoid reprisals, spoke with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, on July 3 immediately following the second time the bishop emeritus of Estelí, Abelardo Mata, was detained.

According to a source consulted by ACI Prensa who is close to the Church in Nicaragua, the bishop “is reportedly not under house arrest, and his whereabouts are unknown,” as he has not returned to his residence.

The priest stated that “it’s true that from the outside it can look like apparent silence; this should not be confused with indifference or paralyzing fear. It is in reality a silence born of prudence and profound pastoral responsibility.”

After noting that the dictatorship “has relegated the faith to the private sphere” or “within the walls of the churches,” the priest pointed out that several bishops are in exile.

“The absence of bishops…