The Truth About the Church in Nicaragua

By Cuaderno Sandinista – Aug 17, 2022

Religion, faith, or feelings of spirituality are broad arteries of the human psyche that connect with the deepest fibers of our emotions. This is not new, and throughout history these feelings have been used for or against political projects.

Nicaragua today is the victim of massive attacks by transnational mega-corporations that spread falsehoods and try to manipulate the population to generate social discontent.

Using the CNN effect, the Central American country is being besieged informationally through the creation of narratives on the subject of religion, church, bishops, Christianity, faith, and Catholicism.

In the international media there is talk of persecution of bishops, closure of churches, and the closure of radio stations….

On social media networks, images of churches and Catholic altars burned, desecrated and destroyed in countries such as Chile and Guyana are going viral, implying that this is the reality in Nicaragua.

Also, there are posts about the prohibition of the practice of Catholicism in Nicaragua [1]. All these news are false opinions, issued without knowing the situation of the Nicaraguan reality.

For this reason, it is important to clarify some conjunctural issues regarding such falsehoods issued:

On the alleged “persecution” of bishops
The hegemonic media speak of “persecution” of bishops, without mentioning that under the auspices of the high authorities of the Catholic Church, the Diocese of Matagalpa, headed by Bishop Rolando Álvarez, took advantage of their status as “religious leaders” to use the media (radios, radio, television, etc.) to persecute the bishops, and used the media (radios) and social networks to try to organize violent groups, inciting them once again to carry out acts of hatred against the population, provoking an atmosphere of anxiety and disorder, altering the peace and harmony of the community, with the purpose of destabilizing the state of Nicaragua and attacking the Constitutional authorities.

They highlight falsehoods without indicating that Alvarez, who is a member of the episcopal conference of Nicaragua, has a background in manipulation and hate speeches to promote violence; that he was a political activist during the failed coup attempt in 2018, whose escalation of violence left a balance of 199 Nicaraguans dead in street clashes, 22 of them police.

It seems that these media overlook that being a hierarch of the Catholic Church does not give one the power to use his status as a “religious leader” to manipulate and incite hatred among parishioners.

In this regard, the Nicaraguan Police, as the competent authority to guarantee peace and citizen security, only established measures to protect the population so that these events do not happen again.

On the prohibition of Catholicism in the country
In Nicaragua, no one prevents prayer and spiritual exercise. On the contrary, the state is clear about the cultural roots of the Nicaraguan people, and promotes their free worship and expression of their beliefs. About 90% of the Nicaraguan population is Christian, and half of that 90% are Catholics by origin, with different levels of practice and presence (in their religious activities).

Nicaraguans express their Catholic or Christian faith in all possible ways: Patron Saint festivities, celebration of the Purisima, Christian Christmas, nativity altars and the altars of the Virgin Mary in Managua and in the main cities and squares of the country. Nicaragua is one of the Latin American countries that most promotes the exercise of religious practice based on the freedom of each citizen [2].

On the closing of the media
In Nicaragua, there are more than 50 radio stations that broadcast Christian messages, five departmental and two national cable television channels, there are open-air campaigns, house-to-house evangelization, and distribution of thousands of biblical pamphlets [3].

All existing radio stations in Nicaragua operate within a legal framework and must comply with the regulations of Law 200, the “General Law of Telecommunications and Postal Services,” which aims to regulate telecommunications services and postal services and establish the rights and duties of users and operators under conditions of quality, equity, security, and the planned and sustained development of telecommunications and postal services. No media is above the law in Nicaragua. Those who violate the law must be prosecuted, face justice, and be shut down.

At present, the international media reproduce and fabricate stories at such a rate that they attempt to modify the psyche of the people, even pressuring governments to respond to such claims that are nothing more than distortions of the true national situation.

These events are strategies of the US government and its useful idiots, who cannot bear to see the resistance of a nation that, despite the media siege that forces it to live its current reality, shows no signs of surrender nor weakening of its principles and values, and defends its advances in peace and goodwill.

Enough of manipulation. Enough of distorting information. Enough of generating violence. Enough of lying to the People. The truth of Nicaragua will defeat imperialist manipulation. The truth of Nicaragua will prevail.

“The unworthy adversary makes use of all weapons and takes advantage of them … to try to win the battle of public opinion by force of lies.” (Commander Fidel Castro)

Sources:
1- https://cuadernosandinista.com/2022/08/15/nicaragua-y-la-manipulacion-de-la-fe-catolica/

2- https://cuadernosandinista.com/2022/08/16/religion-fe-y-bien-comun/

3- https://redvolucionmedia.com/2022/08/15/libertad-religiosa-en-nicaragua/

I'm in Matagalpa now investigating reports of state repression against the church and a massive disinformation campaign

In 2018 the Catholic Church supported (at times violently) the failed US-backed coup attempt in Nicaragua

Sunday mass is packed, reports appear to be false pic.twitter.com/79VUy1SUnP

— Benjamin Rubinstein 🇵🇸 (@BenFRubinstein) August 14, 2022

These images are going viral on social media by people claiming it is Nicaragua, Matagalpa. However in reality it is Chile from a few years ago.

I'm in Matagalpa now investigating. pic.twitter.com/1FVhwANNXX

— Benjamin Rubinstein 🇵🇸 (@BenFRubinstein) August 14, 2022

Some are claiming that the church has been closed. An article from @newsmax claimed there was a massive police presence at the church yesterday. I was there yesterday and witnessed zero police on Cathedral grounds. The same is true today.https://t.co/iImZafh7pA pic.twitter.com/7DO9T66iuE

— Benjamin Rubinstein 🇵🇸 (@BenFRubinstein) August 14, 2022

The foundation of this current disinfo campaign are threads such as this which are widely being mislabeled as Nicaragua despite the Chilean flag being clearly visible.https://t.co/kh58mHPoPv

— Benjamin Rubinstein 🇵🇸 (@BenFRubinstein) August 14, 2022

More disinformation. While Father Alvarez is under investigation for planning violence, something he's been doing with impunity for at least 4 years, this is NOT the church in Matagalpa. https://t.co/DVvJbInoNt

— Benjamin Rubinstein 🇵🇸 (@BenFRubinstein) August 17, 2022

(Internationalist 360°)

With additional translation by Orinoco Tribune