For critics of the first Latin American pope, Francis’ recent expression of concern about the crackdown on Catholics in Nicaragua was too little too late.
Latin America
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Pope Francis voices ‘worry and sorrow’ over bishop’s detention in Nicaragua
At his Sunday noon remarks, Pope Francis described his worry and sorrow for events in Nicaragua. Police have detained several Catholic clergy in the country.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Nicaraguan police remove outspoken bishop in predawn raid. His whereabouts are unknown.
Nicaraguan police burst into Matagalpa diocesan headquarters and removed an outspoken bishop who had been under house arrest for more than two weeks.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
‘I was a child raising a child’: the cost of Latin American family separation—and the long journey to reunite
Though family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border has been a much-debated topic in recent years, children in Central America have long faced extended periods away from their migrant parents.
Posted inExplainer, Politics & Society
Explainer: The Catholic Church’s fraught relationship with the Nicaraguan government
For five years, the government and church of Nicaragua have been at odds over protests and state corruption.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Detained by police inside church building in Nicaragua, Bishop Álvarez says hate must be answered with love
Bishop Álvarez, facing the threat of incarceration, maintains a message of love and hope.
Posted inFaith, News
Jesuits murdered in Mexico remembered in moment of silence
“Today we are remembering the priests, the journalists, the social activists and the young people who have died violently,” Fr. Jorge Atilano González told his congregation.
Posted inFaith, News
Cardinal Hummes, close friend of Pope Francis, dies at 87
Cardinal Claudio Hummes was one of Brazil’s main religious leaders and a strong advocate for the poor.
Posted inFaith, News
In new interview, Pope Francis says becoming pope made him less rigid and more merciful
When asked if he felt he had changed during his papacy, the pope said he was told by several people “that things that were dormant in my personality came to the surface; that I became more merciful.”
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
In Nicaragua, the Ortega regime steps up efforts to silence civil society—especially the Catholic Church
Human rights in Nicaragua have deteriorated since a political crisis in 2018 pitted the increasingly authoritarian Ortega government against democracy and political reform advocates.