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19/09/2022

Blood of St. Januarius liquefies in Naples on feast day

null / Screenshot from Chiesa di Napoli YouTube channel.

Rome Newsroom, Sep 19, 2022 / 04:46 am (CNA).

The blood of Saint Januarius liquefied on Monday at a Mass in Naples, where the archbishop sharply condemned the city’s “cancerous mafia culture.”

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples held up an ampoule containing the relic of the 3rd-century martyr saint’s blood in the Naples Cathedral on Sept. 19, revealing the liquefaction to shouts and cheers.

“Today the sign of Bishop Januarius’ blood shed for the sake of Christ and his brethren, tells us that goodness, beauty, and righteousness are and always will be victorious,” the archbishop said.

“Here is the meaning of this blood which, united with the blood shed by Christ and that of all martyrs of every place and time, is a living testimony that love always wins.”

More than 2,000 people gathered in Naples’ Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary for the feast of St. Januarius, the city's patron saint, known as San Gennaro in Italian. The third-century bishop is believed to have been martyred during the Christian persecution of Emperor Diocletian.

Naples Cathedral on Sept. 19, 2022. Screenshot / Chiesa di Napoli YouTube Channel

In Neapolitan lore, the failure of the blood to liquefy signals war, famine, disease, or other disasters. The reputed miracle usually occurs up to three times a year: Sept. 19, the saint’s feast day; the first Saturday of May; and Dec. 16, the anniversary of the 1631 eruption of the nearby Mount Vesuvius.

In his homily, the archbishop of Naples cautioned against reducing the veneration of the city’s saint to mere superstition.

“It matters little, my brothers and sisters, whether the blood liquefies or not: let us never reduce this celebration to an oracle to be consulted,” Battaglia said.

“Believe me, what really matters to the Lord, what our bishop and martyr Januarius strongly asks of us, is the daily commitment to stake on love,” he added.

Archbishop Battaglia with the liquefied blood of Saint Januarius on Sept. 19, 2022. Screenshot / Youtube channel, Chiesa di Napoli

Battaglia also underlined the need to confront the southern Italian city’s “mafia culture.” He said that the “cancerous evil of the Camorra and mafia culture, educational poverty, and unemployment” are like a “plague” for the young people in Naples, often forcing them to emigrate.

The archbishop appealed to Catholics to contribute to the “educational pact” he launched in Naples last year with the aim of reaching young people with constructive opportunities before they are drawn into organized crime.

“People of Naples, what makes you magnificent is your ability to love, what can make you so even more is to draw from the source of love which is Christ himself: do not be afraid to follow him and magnify the Lord for what he will work in you, in your little ones, among your poor, for those who sit on the margins of society,” Battaglia said.

Blood of St. Januarius liquefies in Naples on feast day null / Screenshot from Chiesa di Napoli YouTube channel. Rome Newsroom, Sep 19, 2...

18/09/2022

Catholic church burned, priests and religious sister kidnapped in war-torn Cameroon

Displaced people fleeing the war in Cameroon / Public Domain

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 18, 2022 / 13:10 pm (CNA).

Gunmen set a Catholic church on fire and kidnapped five priests, one religious sister and two lay people in western Cameroon, where a civil war has been raging since 2017.

The Catholic bishops of the Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province released a statement following the September 16 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Nchang, Mamfe Diocese.

"It was with great shock and utter horror that we, the Bishops (of the BAPEC) learned of the burning down of the St. Mary's Catholic Church, Nchang... and the kidnapping of five priests, one religious sister and two lay faithful by unknown gunmen," the statement said.

The bishops said they “strongly condemn all these attacks against the Church and her Ministers and we appeal to those who have taken the priests, the nun and the Christians in Nchang to release them without further delay.”

“We insist on this because this act has now crossed the red line and we must say that 'enough is enough,'" read the statement.

Cameroon has been embroiled in a civil war known as the “Anglophone Crisis” in which armed separatists from the Anglophone regions of the country in the Northwest and Southwest have taken part in an uprising against government forces. Both sides have been accused of atrocities, including the murder and torture of civilians.

The conflict has killed thousands and displaced as many as 500,000 since 2014.

On September 6 suspected militant separatists opened fire on a bus in Muyuka, killing at least six civilians.

In their statement, the bishops said that the Catholic church has increasingly been targeted by attackers.

“A wave of persecutions against the hierarchy of the Church is now the new game of the “Struggle,” and all kinds of threat messages are sent out against missionaries who have surrendered their lives to work for the people,” read the bishops’ statement which noted that Presbyterian and Baptist churches have also been targeted.

About two-thirds of Cameroonians practice Christianity, while 25-30% are Muslim.

Catholic church burned, priests and religious sister kidnapped in war-torn Cameroon Displaced people fleeing the war in Cameroon / Public ...

18/09/2022

Pope Francis' representative in Ukraine shot at while delivering aid

Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. / lvivadm via Wikimedia (CC BY 3.0).

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 17, 2022 / 16:19 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Pope Francis’ representative in Ukraine, was shot at Saturday as he delivered humanitarian aid near the city of Zaporizhzhia, Vatican News reported.

The report said Krajewski was not hurt.

The incident happened while the Polish-born cardinal was bringing food and other supplies to people stuck in a “no-man’s land” on the front lines.

Krajewski and his companions came under small arm’s fire and sought cover. “For the first time in my life,” he told Vatican News afterward, “I didn’t know where to run … because it’s not enough to run. You have to know where to go.”

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, gets shot at as he delivers humanitarian aid in Pope Francis’ name near the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, emerging unscathed and continuing his mission.https://t.co/wahdjgPmc0

— Leila ليلى‎ () September 17, 2022

Zaporizhzhia is a city in southeastern Ukraine, on the banks of the Dnieper river. Its nuclear power plant, which has been described as the largest in Europe, was offline for nearly a week as a precaution given the heavy fighting in the area. It is now back in operation, the New York Times reported Saturday.

Pope Francis announced Sept. 11 that Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, would be returning to Ukraine to “give concrete witness of the closeness of the pope and the Church.” This is his fourth trip there as papal almoner since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters Friday that it was too soon to tell if Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the northeast part of the country will mark a turning point in the nearly seven-month-long war.

Pope Francis' representative in Ukraine shot at while delivering aid Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. / lvivadm via Wikimedia (CC ...

17/09/2022

Single mom credits maternity home with saving her life

Amid recent attacks against pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes from pro-abortion protesters, Danielle Nicholson told EWTN Pro-Life Weekly on Sept. 15, 2022, that she owes her life to one. / EWTN Pro-Life Weekly/screen shot

Denver, Colo., Sep 17, 2022 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Amid recent attacks against pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes by pro-abortion activists, one mother says she owes her life to one.

Danielle Nicholson found herself in a crisis pregnancy when she was 20 years old and turned to the Paul Stefan Foundation in Locust Grove, Virginia, for aid. Welcomed with open arms by the founders of the center, Randy and Evelyn James, she is now the mother of a 9-year-old daughter and has made a career as a foster care social worker. She credits her success to the fresh start and help she received during her stay at the maternity home.

In an interview with EWTN Pro-Life Weekly on Sept. 15, she reflected: “At the time my situation was pretty dire in that I wasn’t working towards any future goals for myself. I wasn’t living a very good life. I was just trying to get by, but the moment I found out that I was pregnant completely changed the trajectory for my life.”

“I realized I now had a little baby that I needed to live for and so I immediately changed my mindset,” she said.

Nicholson began living a sober life, went back to school, and started to organize her life so she could take care of her baby. During this time, she came across the Paul Stefan Home. During her five-year stay, the home provided her with “the most perfect opportunity to accomplish all the goals that I had for myself.”

Not only was she given resources to pursue a professional life but she was also shown love, which Nicholson says she was still very much in need of during that time.

“I still needed a lot of love and support from adults and parents myself,” she said. “Randy and Evelyn just immediately started to shower me with so much love and support, kindness, patience.”

“They taught me some really significant life lessons — what it meant to be a professional, what it meant to be respectful, what it meant to have integrity, what it meant to be ambitious,” Nicholson added. “And Evelyn taught me the best way to be the best mother. She walked me through every step of motherhood.”

In her work today as a foster care social worker, Nicholson strives to use her story to encourage others to overcome their struggles.

“I try my very very best to make an impact on anyone’s life that I have to work with,” she said, “[some who have] experienced abuse, experienced trauma, experienced neglect, because my background has all of that and I made a way to get through it.”

Nicholson continued: “I just present it as it’s a process that requires a lot of dedication and work, but it is possible and if those people are willing to walk through that, I offer for myself to walk that through with them to support them.”

In light of recent attacks on pregnancy centers and maternity homes, Nicholson shared her heartfelt message about her experience with these resources for pregnant women.

“They’re completely voluntary. There is absolutely nothing about these places that mandate a woman to choose either way, regarding life for their baby, regarding adoption, regarding parenthood,” she explained. “It’s just a resource to give a woman the ability and the opportunity to just take a breath, to learn what her options are, what her resources are.”

“It’s completely conditional on what that woman wants for her life and for her baby and all women are met right where they’re at when they walk in the door regarding what they want for themselves, what they want for their babies.”

“Ultimately, these clinics and these resources are just an added layer of support to help a woman follow through with the choice that she’s made,” Nicholson concluded.

Watch the full interview with Nicholson below.

Single mom credits maternity home with saving her life Amid recent attacks against pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes from pr...

16/09/2022

40 Days for Life in Spain: ‘The more they persecute us, the more we will embrace the Cross!’

Bishop José Ignacio Munilla with volunteers from 40 Days for Life in Spain / Photo credit: 40 Days for Life in Spain

Denver Newsroom, Sep 16, 2022 / 14:08 pm (CNA).

40 Days for Life in Spain will hold a new prayer campaign from Sept. 28 to Nov. 6, and the pro-life outreach said on Twitter that participants are going into the campaign with the cry “the more they persecute us, the more we will embrace the Cross!”

Volunteers face for the first time the threat of jail time for praying in the vicinity of abortion centers and trying to help mothers choose life for their baby.

The first national conference of 40 Days for Life in Spain was held Sept. 10–11, several days prior to the launch of the fall campaign, with the theme “Persecution and Perseverance in the Mission.” The event was well attended.

The theme responds to the change in Spain’s Penal Code that went into effect last April, which provides a “prison sentence of three months to one year or community service for 31 to 80 days” for whomever according to the law undermines the freedom of mothers who go to an abortion center.

The Penal Code makes it a crime for the person who “in order to hinder the exercise of the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy harasses a woman by annoying, offensive, intimidating, or coercive acts that undermine her freedom.”

Under the law, pro-lifers could be prosecuted without the allegedly offended person or their legal representative being required to file a complaint.

At the time of the law’s passage, Bárbara Royo, a criminal lawyer, told El Debate newspaper that “it’s difficult to guess how those who demonstrate with a banner in front of an abortion center can be convicted because their presence is not against any specific woman, but against a practice that for them, because of their beliefs, their ideology or their religion is not admissible.”

“Not to mention how the fact that a mere police report without a prior complaint from the possible victim could serve as a reason to penalize; it eliminates the basic principle that for there to be a crime there must be a specific victim, in this case a woman, who is the identifiable target of the coercion,” the lawyer pointed out.

The Bishop of Orihuela Alicante, José Ignacio Munilla, participated in the conference and addressed the threat posed by this law with a presentation titled “The Martyrs of Today.”

40 Days for Life said that the conference — in which leaders from Croatia, Germany, Colombia, and the United Kingdom participated — also served to “unite bridges between our brothers who are also in different parts of the world in the struggle for life.”

The director of international affairs for 40 Days for Life, Tomislav Cunovic, said that “Spain has the potential” to expand the movement.

“Spain is a Catholic country, with a Catholic Christian tradition, and if we aren’t going to have many vigils in Spain, where if not here?” Cunovic said, noting that Spain is “on the right track.”

Cunovic stressed that “it’s our task to raise our voices and pray, unite in prayer, and show that Spain is a pro-life society that accepts and loves life.”

The conference was also an opportunity to “improve coordination and collaboration between the different teams spread throughout 21 cities in Spain,” the campaign said.

40 Days for Life is an international organization of volunteers who pray for 40 consecutive days in nearly 600 cities around the world for the end of abortion.

On an international level, since 2007 the campaign has recorded more than 22,000 babies saved from abortion, 240 workers who have quit the industry, and 120 abortion centers that have closed.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

40 Days for Life in Spain: ‘The more they persecute us, the more we will embrace the Cross!’ Bishop José Ignacio Munilla with volunteers f...

16/09/2022

Report: Pope Francis sought to meet with Xi Jinping, but China declined

President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. / Gil Corzo/Shutterstock

Denver Newsroom, Sep 16, 2022 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis expressed his “availability” to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping while both men were in Kazakhstan this week, but China declined, according to a Reuters report citing an unnamed Vatican official.

Pope Francis was in Nur-Sultan, the Kazakh capital formerly known as Astana, Sept. 13–15 for an interreligious meeting, while Xi was in the same city to meet with Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, one day after the pope did.

According to Reuters, the source said the Vatican made “an expression of availability,” and the Chinese side said they “appreciated the gesture” but that there was no free time in Xi’s schedule.

A meeting of the two leaders would have been momentous; there has never been a meeting between a pope and a president of China. Pope Francis has said he is willing to visit China, saying on the flight from Rome to Kazakhstan on Sept. 13: “I’m always ready to go to China.”

The coinciding visits of Francis and Xi also comes as the Holy See and China determine the renewal of a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in China and a cardinal is preparing to stand trial in Hong Kong for his role in a pro-democracy legal fund.

Xi has been harshly criticized for overseeing the persecution of religious believers of many stripes in China, including Christians and the Uyghur Muslims of the Xinjiang region.

Kazakhstan and China, which are neighbors, have close ties, with large-scale Chinese investments in the Central Asian country’s natural resources through its Belt and Road Initiative. Xi announced his plan for a “new silk road” in the Kazakh capital in 2013. The Chinese leader met with Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan on Thursday as part of Xi’s first trip outside China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pope Francis has said little about China’s human rights violations since the Vatican first entered into a provisional agreement with China in 2018. That deal was meant to unify the country’s 12 million Catholics, divided between the underground Church and the Communist-administered Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, and clear a path for the appointment of bishops for Chinese dioceses. Despite the deal, persecution of the underground Church has continued and, according to some, intensified. That deal is expected to be renewed for another two years at the end of the month.

Report: Pope Francis sought to meet with Xi Jinping, but China declined President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping during the...

16/09/2022

Update: Notre Dame football coach calls conversion to Catholic faith ‘a personal decision’

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman / Notre Dame Athletics

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 16, 2022 / 11:10 am (CNA).

Marcus Freeman, head coach of the University of Notre Dame’s football team, told members of the press Sept. 15 that he had tried to keep his recent conversion to the Catholic faith under wraps.

The news that he had become a Catholic was made public after his home parish, St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, Indiana, published an announcement welcoming Freeman into the Church in its parish bulletin.

In a Zoom meeting with reporters, Freeman said that his decision to join the Catholic Church was a “family decision” and a “personal decision” and said that he was confirmed in September.

“I tried to keep it as private as I could,” Freeman said.

“Obviously, when you’re head coach at Notre Dame, nothing is private,” he added with a smile.

WATCH: Marcus Freeman addresses his recent conversion to the Catholic faith. pic.twitter.com/PsfnVrYjwG

— Mike BerardinoNDI () September 15, 2022

“Welcome to our newest Catholic, Marcus Freeman,” read the announcement in the church’s Sept. 11 parish bulletin.

Freeman was “received into the Catholic Church after preparing with Father Nate Wills, C.S.C., chaplain of the Notre Dame football team,” the bulletin announced. It was accompanied by a photo of the 36-year-old football coach and four priests, including Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., the university’s president.

“Marcus made a profession of faith, was confirmed, and received his First Holy Communion. Please pray for Marcus and his family as they celebrate and continue this journey in faith!” the announcement said. According to sources, Freeman entered the Church at the end of August, before the start of the football season.

Congrats ! pic.twitter.com/K5AvaydjXC

— One Foot Down () September 14, 2022

Freeman’s wife, Joanna, is Catholic, as are their six children, Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri, and Rocco.

In an interview with the National Catholic Register published Aug. 31, Freeman, who was a Christian before his entrance into the Catholic Church, said that he was grateful to be at Notre Dame because of the school’s emphasis on faith.

“That’s important for me. I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” Freeman told the Register.

Update: Notre Dame football coach calls conversion to Catholic faith ‘a personal decision’ University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach Ma...

15/09/2022

Vote to enshrine same-sex marriage delayed until after mid-terms

null / Kulniz/Shutterstock.

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 15, 2022 / 15:55 pm (CNA).

The Senate has delayed a highly-anticipated vote to enshrine same-sex marriage into law until after the midterm elections this November.

The news was announced by lawmakers Thursday after weeks of bipartisan deliberations that left some Republicans with objections to the act’s potential religious liberty implications.

The bill, titled the Respect for Marriage Act, follows the House version that was passed earlier in July.

It is being led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). and Susan Collins (R-Me.), who are working across aisles to gain at least 10 GOP Senate votes needed to pass it.

Baldwin told reporters Thursday she is “very confident” the bill will pass, but said she needs “a little more time.”

Some Republicans, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), have signaled a need to hammer out legislative protections for religious liberty.

“There are some very legitimate concerns about religious liberty, and those concerns would have to be properly addressed,” Johnson said in an interview last week.

Johnson called the act “unnecessary” but said he saw “no reason to oppose it” in a statement in July.

A record number of 47 Republicans joined Democrats in passing the bill in the House in July.

The bill would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage in federal law as the union of a man and a woman and permitted states not to recognize same-sex marriages that were contracted in other states.

DOMA was already effectively nullified, however, when the Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage rights in the 2013 and 2015 Supreme Court decisions United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges.

Democrats have pushed the bill as necessary after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in that decision, he suggested the court should reconsider all “substantive due process” cases, including the 2015 Obergefell decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

Vote to enshrine same-sex marriage delayed until after mid-terms null / Kulniz/Shutterstock. Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 15, 2022 / 15...

15/09/2022

Catholics in Kazakhstan: few in number but deep in faith

Participants at the outdoor Mass in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 14, 2022 / Rudolf Gehrig / CNA Deutsch

Washington D.C., Sep 15, 2022 / 12:33 pm (CNA).

When Pope Francis arrived in Kazakhstan earlier this week, he was welcomed by a devout community of Catholics full of love for the faith — especially toward the Blessed Mother.

Alexey Gotovskiy, EWTN News In-Depth producer and a native of Kazakhstan, in a recent report introduced viewers to the Asian country, whose diverse culture is made up of a multitude of languages, faiths, and breathtaking natural vistas.

Despite making up only 1% of the country’s population, Catholics in Kazakhstan are devoted to the Virgin Mary. This is most evident when visiting the town of Ozernoe, which is home to the only Marian shrine in the country.

Father Mariusz Stawasz, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace, said that the source of the town’s devotion to Our Lady stems from a perceived miracle that occurred during the Great Famine of World War II.

“Here, the people were praying through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for help,” Stawasz said. “And on March 25, 1941, a miracle occurred: the temperature rose … the snow melted, and [formed] a lake.”

Stawasz noted that, while the appearance of the lake may be attributed to a naturally occurring phenomenon, the lake was seemingly miraculously filled with an abundance of fish.

Additionally, the village houses a Carmelite monastery founded only 15 years ago — an example of Ozernoe’s present devotion to the faith. There, five sisters live and pray in solitude with Our Lord. One of these, Sister Elizabeth, gave insight into the Carmelite community and how its members view the importance of their faith.

“You could say that we are sheltered with Jesus in the tabernacle,” Sister Elizabeth said. “It gives us a chance to be close to the heart of Jesus … Together with him, we pray for all peoples.”

Sister Elizabeth also revealed that the miracle of the fish in Ozernoe occurred again during the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparition in Fatima. For Sister Elizabeth, it was a reminder that Our Lady dwells in Kazakhstan.

While Pope Francis was not able to visit Ozernoe during his papal visit, he blessed the newest icon in the shrine — Mother of the Great Steppe.

During his papal visit, Pope Francis also emphasized the urgent need for interreligious dialogue among the many faiths in Kazakhstan — calling the journey to this goal “a shared path to peace and for peace; as such, it is necessary and irrevocable.”

For more details on the Catholic faith in Kazakhstan, see the full story below:

Catholics in Kazakhstan: few in number but deep in faith Participants at the outdoor Mass in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, on Sept. 14, 2022 / R...

15/09/2022

UN human rights report on Nicaragua cites ‘attacks on Catholic Church’

Bishop José Álvarez Lagos is surrounded by police officers on Aug. 4, 2022. The bishop's detention was cited in a Sept. 13, 2022, U.N. human-rights report. / Diocese Media TV Merced / Diocese of Matagalpa

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 15, 2022 / 09:50 am (CNA).

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released a report Sept. 13 that condemned the regime of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, citing a “deterioration of the human rights situation.”

The report included a compilation of recent incidents in which the Nicaraguan government has attacked and repressed the Catholic Church.

Ortega, who took office in 2007, has become increasingly authoritarian since his re-election in November 2021. A brutal crackdown on protesters in 2018, the arrest and imprisonment of political opponents before the presidential election, and the repression of the Church prompted a U.N. resolution to further monitor the country.

The report, introduced before the 51st session of the UNHRC in Geneva, documented known human rights violations since March when the report was commissioned.

In summing up the report’s findings, U.N. official Christian Salazar Volkmann cited “serious violations of civil and political rights, the absence of a national dialogue, the deepening of the political crisis, and the isolation of Nicaragua from the international community.”

“I urge the international community to sustain its efforts and engagement, including, most urgently, to keep calling on the authorities for the release of the arbitrarily detained persons,” Volkmann said.

Attacks on the Catholic Church

Included among the findings were attacks on the Catholic Church:

— In March, the report noted, Nicaragua expelled the apostolic nuncio, “who had supported dialogue at the beginning of the crisis.”

— On Aug. 1, Nicaraguan police broke into a Catholic radio station in Sébaca, Matagalpa, using violent force. A parish priest and six others were confined in his house for three days without food or electricity.

— The bishop of Matagalpa, Rolando Álvarez, along with two priests, was harassed beginning in May, the report noted. On Aug. 4, police surrounded the bishop’s home and prevented him from going to the cathedral to celebrate Mass. The bishop, five other priests, and six lay people were held by riot police and subject to a criminal investigation. According to human-rights observers, as of today, his location is not known.

— Between May and August, government authorities shut down 12 radio and television media outlets of the Catholic Church, “arguing that they did not have operating permits,” the report said.

— Twelve universities “had their legal personality canceled,” according to the U.N. report. Among them was the Jesuit-run Central American University.

Other human rights abuses

The Catholic Church was only one entity targeted by the Ortega regime. Other instances of human-rights violations found in the report include:

— As many as 1,178 human rights and development organizations were shut down or ordered to leave the country. Among these nongovernmental organizations were entities affiliated with the Catholic Church, including members of Mother Teresa’s order, the Missionaries of Charity, who were expelled from the country in July.

— As of the writing of the report, 180 people who were arrested during the political crisis of 2021 remain in detention. The report found that their trials were held behind closed doors, and the attorneys of the accused were denied access to evidence and were not allowed to meet with their clients for more than a few minutes before their hearings.

— The U.N. body’s investigations found inhumane conditions at a detention center that resulted in the death of one individual in February. The report noted that the Nicaraguan government had not complied with the UNHRC’s recommendation that they “prevent acts of torture and ill-treatment in custody.”

— Freedom of the press also “deteriorated,” according to the report, which noted that the manager of La Prensa, who was arrested in the run-up to the 2021 elections, was sentenced to nine years in prison for money laundering. The newspaper’s staff has since fled the country, “joining the 120 other journalists who are in exile.” Three journalists were also sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for “spreading fake news and undermining national integrity.”

— The report found that the Nicaraguan government had failed to carry out the recommendations of the UNHRC that included electoral reform and the investigation of human rights violations committed by security forces.

UN human rights report on Nicaragua cites ‘attacks on Catholic Church’ Bishop José Álvarez Lagos is surrounded by police officers on Aug. ...

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