Nicaraguan police detain another Catholic priest critical of the government, making him the latest cleric to be targeted in a deepening crackdown on clergy, Reuters reports.
Nicaraguan police detained another Catholic priest critical of the government, two sources close to the Church told Reuters on Monday, making him the latest clericFernando Zamora, a priest who also serves in an administrative role in the northern diocese of Siuna, was arrested on Sunday in the capital Managua after assisting at a mass presided by the country’s senior Catholic leader, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, according to the sources.
It was not immediately clear what charges Zamora faces. Neither the government nor the police responded to a request for comment. Nicaragua’s Catholic Church has been in the crosshairs of a five-year-long campaign by the government that has targeted priests and nuns for both arrest or expulsion, as well as a sweeping money laundering investigation announced by officials in late May that froze all church bank accounts.President Daniel Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of criminal activity, including seeking to overthrow his government.
Zamora’s jailing adds to four other priests already behind bars in the Central American nation, including Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who in February was convicted and sentenced without a trial to a 26-year prison term on treason charges.unsuccessfully sought to negotiateMedia outlet Confidencial also reported on Monday that another Catholic priest, Nicaraguan national Juan Carlos Sanchez, was denied entry into the country after traveling to Bolivia and the United States.
Just this year, at least seven priests have been expelled, six priests have fled the country, while three others have been denied re-entry.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Louisiana Catholic priest pleads guilty to drugging and molesting 17 men, sentenced to prisonA Louisiana ex-priest pleaded guilty to drugging and molesting 17 men he met in the French Quarter between 2019-21, and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Read more »
Petersburg Catholic church burns in 10-hour fire“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Petersburg resident Becky Knight, as a Thursday fire caved in a local church's roof and its spire buckled under the heat of the flames.
Read more »
Community meetings in the San Fernando Valley, July 10-17Find a book club, gardening club, neighborhood council board meetings, a veterans group and other meetings plus farmers markets.
Read more »
Son of renowned Guatemalan journalist still fights for his father's freedom a year after imprisonmentThis “has been a very open political persecution of press freedom,” José Carlos Zamora said about what has taken place with his father, José Rubén Zamora, founder of 'El Periódico.'
Read more »
Shining a light on mysterious underwater cave creaturesCave ecologist Fernando Calderón Gutiérrez is studying the resilience of cave-adapted species in the face of climate change and other stressors.
Read more »
Ex-priest sentenced to 25 years for drugging and molesting men he met in New Orleans tourist areaA former Catholic priest in Louisiana has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drugging and molesting 17 men he met in a popular tourist area in New Orleans
Read more »