Pope Francis on Monday sent a pastoral letter to the “pilgrim People of God in Nicaragua,” encouraging them to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the strength to persevere in difficulty.
The letter, which comes amid serious ongoing persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, urges the local people not to “forget the loving Providence of the Lord, who accompanies us and is the only sure guide.”
“Precisely in the most difficult moments, when it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called not to doubt His care and mercy. The filial trust you have in Him and also your fidelity to the Church are the two great beacons that illuminate your existence,” the pope said.
The letter was sent a few days before the feast of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of Nicaragua, known as la Purísima in the Central American country.
“Be certain that faith and hope work miracles,” the pope wrote in his message. “Let us look to the Immaculate Virgin: she is the luminous witness of this confidence. You have always experienced her maternal protection in all your needs and have shown your gratitude with a very beautiful and spiritually rich religiosity.”
The letter does not directly mention the persecution against the Catholic Church in the country, which has resulted in around 20% of the country’s clergy being forced into exile, including four bishops.
However, Pope Francis has signaled his support for the Nicaraguan people in the past.
For example, he appointed Bishop Rolando Álvarez, one of the most bitter critics of the Nicaraguan regime, as a papal delegate to the Synod on Synodality’s second session.
Álvarez was exiled to Rome in January 2024, after spending almost a year and a half in prison, serving a 25-year sentence for conspiracy.
In a 2023 interview, Pope Francis compared Ortega’s regime to “Hitler’s dictatorship” and said Ortega suffered from a “mental unbalance.”
In his new pastoral letter, the pope voiced his hope that the upcoming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception would encourage the Nicaraguan people in times of challenge or uncertainty.
“Walking together, supported by our tender devotion to Mary, makes us tenaciously follow the path of the Gospel and leads us to renew our trust in God,” he said.
“I entrust you to the protection of the Immaculate Conception,” he continued.
“I wish to convey to you my closeness and the assurance that I unceasingly pray to the Blessed Virgin to console and accompany you, confirming you in your faith. I want to say it forcefully, the Mother of God does not cease to intercede for you, and we do not cease to ask Jesus to keep you always in His hand.”
The persecution against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua started amid the 2018-2019 protests against the Ortega regime.
Since then, the Nicaraguan regime has forced the closure of dozens of Catholic TV and radio stations, the dissolution of the legal structures of religious congregations, Catholic universities, and Catholic foundations, and the seizure of their properties.
More than 250 clergy and religious have been forced into exile, including four bishops and almost 20% of the country’s priests.
On November 12, the president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference, Bishop Carlos Herrera, OFM, was forced into exile after criticizing a pro-regime mayor during Sunday Mass in the Jinotega cathedral.
In recent weeks, the regime has faced criticism for forbidding priests from accessing public hospitals, not allowing them to visit people who have requested pastoral visits or the reception of the sacraments of anointing of the sick or penance.
