The Nicaraguan government has forcibly exiled a Catholic bishop, prompting a strong condemnation from the United States.

Brian Nichols, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, expressed deep concern on November 17 about Nicaragua's forced exile of Bishop Carlos Herrera, the president of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference. Nichols stated, "Half of Nicaragua's bishops cannot return home. Ortega and Murillo's blatant attacks on the Catholic clergy will not weaken the faith of their people."

On November 13, the Nicaraguan government expelled Bishop Herrera to Guatemala. Bishop Herrera, of the Diocese of Jinotega, had publicly criticized the municipal government of Jinotega for disrupting a Mass on October 10 by playing loud music outside the church. This act of defiance is believed to have prompted the government's retaliatory action.

This incident is a prime example of the deepening conflict between the Nicaraguan government and the Catholic Church. Since the 2018 pro-democracy protests, the Ortega regime has viewed the Catholic Church as an opposition force and has subjected it to systematic persecution. Numerous clergy members have been imprisoned or exiled, church property has been confiscated, and religious freedom has been severely curtailed.

Human rights organizations in Nicaragua have denounced the forced exile of Bishop Herrera as a "crime against humanity" and have called for strong international condemnation and sanctions.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]