Faith, Power and Repression: The Harassment of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua

Abstract

The beginning of the social outburst in Nicaragua during the month of April 2018 has highlighted the previous historical role of the Catholic Church in the country, its function during the conflict and its current condition, an unfavorable trend for the ecclesiastical institution, which has witnessed state coercion by the Sandinista regime in the first instance, through the forced closure of social organizations -including numerous Catholic foundations-, documented attacks against property and citizens related to the Catholic community, prohibition of religious manifestations (processions, pilgrimages and devotional acts), revocation of legal status of Catholic associations with social functions, arbitrary detentions, expulsions and subsequent denationalization of members of the clergy.