Pope Francis has written a letter of support to the Catholics of Nicaragua, who are living under an increasingly authoritarian government which had clamped down on the Church.
“I am with you,” the Pope wrote, and said that trust in God and keeping true to the Church are “two great beacons” that light up people’s lives. “Be assured that faith and hope work miracles,” he added.
The people of Nicaragua were commended to the protection of the Virgin Mary and “that simple cry expressed with profound trust: ‘Mary belongs to Nicaragua, Nicaragua belongs to Mary’. So be it!”
The Nicaraguan government is under the presidency of Daniel Ortega, a leftist politician who came to prominence during the 1980s, when he led the country’s government in a highly confrontational relationship with the United States. Nicaragua at that time became a significant focus of left-wing liberation theology.
Today, Ortega’s government has cracked down on opposition, removed numerous institutional protections and constrained the space for civil society. Numerous Catholic officials have been forced into exile.
Exiles remarked that the Pope’s words were important statements of support for those suffering in the largely Catholic country.
Félix Maradiaga, a former presidential candidate and political prisoner, told a Spanish news outlet: “In the midst of this wave of repression and religious persecution unprecedented in our history, his words of encouragement are a balm for our spirit and a reminder of the transforming power of faith and hope.”