Is Nicaragua’s Bishop Álvarez Still Alive? A U.S. Congressman Demands Proof

Republican Rep. Chris Smith is demanding proof from Nicaraguan Dictator Daniel Ortega that an imprisoned Catholic bishop and religious freedom advocate Bishop Rolando Álvarez is still alive.

“Since there has been no reliable evidence of the bishop’s state of health or even that he is alive,” Smith said, “I call on President Ortega to provide proof to the international community that Bishop Álvarez is still alive.”

Smith further demanded that the Red Cross have “immediate access” to Bishop Álvarez “to independently examine his health without restriction and without government officials or prison guards present.”

Smith, a Catholic Republican from New Jersey, also renewed his June request to meet with Bishop Álvarez in person in Nicaragua.

A staunch advocate for human and religious rights and critic of the Ortega dictatorship, Bishop Álvarez was first placed under house arrest in August 2022.

After he refused to leave the country, Bishop Álvarez was then sentenced to more than 26 years in prison and placed in a maximum-security facility known as “Modelo Prison.”

According to Smith, Modelo is “notorious for its harsh conditions.”

Besides imprisoning one of the Nicaraguan Church’s top voices, Ortega has taken increasingly hostile actions against the Catholic Church, including expelling the Vatican’s envoy to Nicaragua, confiscating Church property, and expelling several religious orders, including the Missionaries of Charity.

Read more at National Catholic Register