‘Forced disappearance’ of Nicaraguan bishop denounced as ‘crime against humanity’

(LifeSiteNews) — The detention of 80-year-old Nicaraguan Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata has been denounced as a “crime against humanity.”

According to Catholic World Report, researcher Martha Patricia Molina called the “forced disappearance” of Mata in Nicaragua a “crime against humanity.”

“The forced disappearance of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata is a serious matter; this constitutes a crime against humanity committed by agents of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship. He has been missing for 19 days, and the co-dictators have not made any further statements on the matter,” Molina told ACI Prensa.

“It’s the dictatorship’s practice to inflict the greatest possible harm on priests,” she continued. “No one in his circle has any news of him, and concern among the laity and the Catholic Church in general is even greater due to the medical conditions he suffers from, conditions that are almost certainly not being treated properly.”

On July 4, the Nicaraguan government confirmed that it had held Mata for several days for questioning before returning him to his home, following reports that the 80-year-old bishop had been detained on June 30, one day after an initial arrest. The official statement came hours after the United States called for the bishop’s release. He was detained after calling for prayers for the persecuted Church under the communist regime during a homily on June 28.

Mata’s whereabouts are still unconfirmed. Despite the government’s claim that Mata had returned home, independent media reported that no evidence has been provided to verify his current condition or freedom, and neither the Diocese of Estelí nor relatives have confirmed contact with him. The 80-year-old bishop suffers from diabetes, visual impairment, and a heart condition that requires him to use a pacemaker.

“Bishop Mata is the last courageous voice of the Church remaining in Nicaragua and that is unafraid of the regime,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 18.

“They fear him because he doesn’t fear them. He is an 80-year-old man of God who is not afraid of a cowardly regime and is prepared to face the ultimate consequences,” he continued. “What’s important now is to call for his freedom and protect him in some way not only through the Catholic Church but also by engaging other governments, such as that of the United States, one of the voices the dictatorship fears.”

The events of Mata’s detention follow years of increasing pressure on the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Since nationwide protests in 2018, church leaders, priests, and religious institutions have faced arrests, expulsions, surveillance, and administrative restrictions. Bishop Mata, who served as Bishop of Estelí until 2021, has for many years publicly criticized the anti-Catholic actions of the government led by Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo.