The Vatican flag and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. / Credit: Bohumil Petrik/ACIACI Prensa Staff, Mar 20, 2023 / 17:00 pm (CNA).The Holy See reported on Saturday that the Vatican s diplomatic headquarters in Nicaragua was forced to close."Yesterday, March 17, the chargé d affaires of the apostolic nunciature in Nicaragua, Monsignor Marcel Diouf, left the country for Costa Rica. The closure of the diplomatic headquarters of the Holy See occurred as a result of a request from the Nicaraguan government on March 10, 2023," Vatican News reported.The Vatican news outlet indicated that "by virtue of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, custody of the apostolic nunciature and its assets was entrusted to the Italian Republic.""Before his departure, Diouf was greeted by diplomatic representatives accredited in Nicaragua from the European Union, Germany, France, and Italy," it said.Diouf was the last Vatican official in Nicaragua and assumed the ro
Diplomatic relations between Managua and the Holy See seem to be in a dramatic state, with media reports saying they are over. Yet neither the Vatican nor the Nicaraguan government interpret the news that way.
Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega has broken diplomatic relations with the Holy See after Pope Francis described his regime as a “Hitlerian” dictatorship.
The deportation of imprisoned critics of the Nicaraguan government and the unjust conviction and sentencing of Bishop Rolando Álvarez highlight the need for the U.S. government and church to speak out about religious freedom abuses in that country, says our editorial board.
Just days after Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Pope Francis expressed concern over his condition.