For nearly two decades, the Diocese of Gaylord has enjoyed a sister diocese partnership with the Diocese of Matagalpa, Nicaragua, a city of 109,000 located in the heart of this Central American country. Facilitated in 2004 through a global program of Catholic Relief Services, this diocesan sister relationship — known in Spanish as an hermanamiento — is rooted in Solidarity and the shared mission as the Body of Christ. Since 2004, several visits have taken place between the two dioceses as well as many opportunities for information sharing, education, countless medical missions, project support, faith sharing and advocacy.
Today, there is growing concern for the safety of Catholics in the sister diocese of Matagalpa. According to the Vatican News, Bishop Rolando José Alvarez Lagos of Matagalpa has gone on an indefinite hunger strike, publicly vowing to receive only water and electrolytes until those in power pledge safety and the respect of privacy for the people, including members of his own family.
Bishop Rolando José Álvarez Lagos of Matagalpa, Nicaragua -- a frequent critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega -- prays at a Catholic church in Managua, Nicaragua, May 20, 2022. The bishop says he has been targeted by police. (CNS photo/Maynor Valenzuela, Reuters)Reports are being shared that Bishop Alvarez, who has been public in raising concerns about the Sandanista Government and unjust imprisonment of political opponents, members of the press and others, is being shadowed non-stop by Nicaraguan Police. The Diocese of Matagalpa is reporting that police are blocking off streets and barricading entrances of any parish or property where Bishop Alvarez is located. Similar reports have been made by other priests. Further intimidation is taking place as Nicaragua's Congress has threatened to imprison Catholic priests who question or defy their authority.
The Most Reverend Jeffrey J. Walsh, bishop of Gaylord, pledges his support of Bishop Rolando Alvarez and the people of Matagalpa:
“As the new bishop of Gaylord, sister diocese of Matagalpa, I pledge our support to Bishop Alvarez and the Church of Matagalpa in Solidarity with the just cause of protest against persecution and harassment. As fellow Christians, we are pained to read how the people of Matagalpa ‘live in an atmosphere of anxiety for their personal safety and the impossibility of exercising their right to live and celebrate their faith in an atmosphere of peace and freedom.’
“I ask that all here in our sister Diocese of Gaylord remember our brothers and sisters who are facing uncertainty and persecution in their daily lives because of their faith in Christ and because they are seeking justice and freedom for all. Please commend Bishop Alvarez and the faithful of Matagalpa to your prayers.
“As I’ve shared with Bishop Alvarez, may he and his people find sustainment and encouragement in the words of sacred scripture: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.’” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
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