Colombian priest says that the cancellation of his residence in Nicaragua is an "expulsion" and attributes it to his critical preaching | CNN

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(CNN) -

Father Luis Alirio Carrillo, a 45-year-old Catholic priest of Colombian origin, left Nicaragua on October 15.

According to him, the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners, without explaining the reasons and without prior notice, canceled his permanent residence in August, something on which the government has not commented.

Carrillo, whose residence permit in the country was valid until 2022, says that he carried out his pastoral work for 10 years in Nicaragua.

For five years he was on the Caribbean Coast and another five years at the San Judas Tadeo Parish in the Estelí Diocese, 150 kilometers north of Managua.

Although, according to Carrillo, his bishop and he made the decision to leave Nicaragua due to the uncertainty generated by his immigration status, he feels that he is being expelled, according to him, because his preaching makes the government of President Daniel Ortega uncomfortable.

"Obviously yes.

It is an expulsion from the country because I, a Catholic Christian priest, in the light of the word of God, exhort the people to let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit and to get out of the rottenness in which they are, "Carrillo said in an interview with CNN before leave Nicaragua.

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The expulsion of priests from Nicaragua

Monsignor Juan Abelardo Mata, bishop of the Estelí Diocese, reported in national media in August that the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners had canceled the permanent residence of priests Luis Alirio Carrillo and Julio Melgar, the latter of Salvadoran nationality.

Monsignor considered the decision as politically motivated.

For his part, Father Julio Melgar, 59 years old and with 40 years of missionary work in Nicaragua, told CNN that they also canceled his residence and extended a temporary permit that expires in February.

He does not know, for now, if he will travel or what his next destination would be.

"At the moment, I don't want to anticipate what will happen in February," said Melgar, who works at the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Parish in the city of Estelí.

CNN tried to find out the reasons for the cancellation of the permanent residence of the two priests at the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners, but they did not respond to our requests for information.

We also request information from the Communication and Citizenship Council, coordinated by Vice President Rosario Murillo, but we are still waiting for a response.

The General Law of Migration and Foreigners of Nicaragua establishes that the authorization of the permanence for foreigners in the country can be revoked -among other causes- for not paying taxes in cases that the law does not exonerate, altering the order and public safety or participate in party politics.

The lawyer, former Catholic priest and former diplomat Edgar Parrales believes that criticism of the government in the preaching of some priests may be subject to a subjective interpretation of the government that motivates the cancellation of their residences.

"I do not know if they have followed the administrative process (prior consultations with the person involved) or if they did it in one fell swoop ... in Nicaragua everything proceeds according to the interests and priorities of the government," Parrales said.

Nicaragua