North Miami-Dade News

Today, Reps. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Joaquín Castro (D-TX) hosted the International Republican Institute to award the Bishop of Matagalpa, Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, with the 2024 Freedom Award for his contributions to the fight for religious liberty in Nicaragua.

Since 2018, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have initiated an unprecedented attack against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua. Bishop Álvarez was expelled and permanently banned from Nicaragua for serving the 75% of Nicaraguans who are Catholics. The United States and Catholics globally stand with Bishop Álvarez and those who suffer under Ortega’s oppression.

“The Catholic Church in Nicaragua is the one institution that the satanic regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo truly fears,” said Rep. Salazar. “Brave Catholic leaders like Bishop Álvarez are doing the Lord’s work in tending to his flock. He is not only deserving of the 2024 Freedom Award but of the Nobel Peace Prize, too!”

“Nicaragua’s descent into authoritarianism over the last six years is a tragic reminder of the very human consequences of democratic backsliding that we have seen across the Western Hemisphere,” said Rep. Castro. “Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo have launched a shocking campaign of persecution against anyone in Nicaragua who dares to think or act independently of the regime, including leaders within the Catholic Church and other religious communities. I commend Bishop Álvarez and his colleagues for their courage. While I am relieved that many have found safety in exile, they should be able to practice their religion freely in their home country."

In February 2023, Ortega-Murillo's regime deported 222 political prisoners to the United States. Bishop Álvarez was expelled soon after on January 14, 2024, along with 18 other religious officials. He now resides in the Vatican in Rome, suffering from the effects of torture endured while imprisoned in Nicaragua beginning on August 19, 2022.

Monsignor Álvarez was jailed by the Ortega regime in August 2022 for alleged crimes of “undermining national integrity” and “propagation of false news through information and communication technologies to the detriment of the State and Nicaraguan society.” He has since become a symbol of Catholic resistance to Ortega's tyranny.

Last year, the Catholic Church published a report on global religious freedom through their organization, Aid to the Church in Need. The report indicates that among Latin America's socialist tyrants, the Ortega regime stands out for its willingness to persecute those who profess the Christian faith.

Currently, Nicaragua is included in the State Department’s Countries of Particular Concern list. This list includes countries guilty of severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1990. Despite being guilty of similar crimes, the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) or Sandinistas are not included in Entities of Particular Concern list, which identifies organizations that suppress religious freedom. Salazar has called for Sandinistas' inclusion on this list.

Salazar continues to champion Nicaraguan people's cause in Congress, most recently introducing the Restoring Sovereignty and Human Rights in Nicaragua Act (HR 6954) with Human Rights Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ).