The trial took place in wake of the leaders’ success in bringing together thousands of people to pray in public venues, which the regime apparently perceived as a threat.
Nicaraguan authorities have arrested six priests over the past two days, bringing to 11 the number of clergy members detained since December 20, opposition figures in a year of attacks on the Catholic Church by President Daniel Ortega and his wife, "co-president" Rosario Murillo.
The expulsion highlights the difficulty of the church-state relationship in Nicaragua, where the Catholic Church has sought reconciliation amid political turmoil and come under attack for supporting political prisoners and their families.