Pope Francis was sad and worried when he heard on Sunday that Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez, an outspoken critic of the Nicaraguan government, had been given a 26-year prison sentence. This was the latest move against the Catholic Church and people who disagree with the government.
Alvarez was given a sentence on Friday. He had refused to go to the U.S. with 222 other prisoners who were all against President Daniel Ortega. Alvarez was also sent to prison and lost his right to be a Nicaraguan citizen.
“The news from Nicaragua has made me very sad,” the pope told the people who had gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday blessing. He also said that he loved Alvarez and was worried about him.
He asked people to pray that the politicians who were to blame would “open their hearts.”
Alvarez and several other priests and lay people were arrested in August. Ortega freed a lot of people who were considered political prisoners, including political leaders, priests, students, and activists. Some of them were put on a flight to Washington on Thursday. Ortega said that Alvarez wouldn’t get on the plane until he could talk to other bishops.
The president of Nicaragua said that Alvarez’s refusal was “an absurd thing.” Alvarez had been under house arrest, but he was then taken to the nearby Modelo prison.
