The dictatorship on Jan. 2 released recent images of the Bishop Rolando Álvarez shortly after the United States government demanded his immediate release.
“We can denote this last year as the year with the most attacks against the Catholic Church in the recent five-year period,” researcher Martha Patricia Molina said.
In a Dec. 13 letter to Pope Francis, Rubio asked the pontiff to intercede on behalf of the 57-year-old bishop and call for a restoration of religious freedom in Nicaragua.