Bishop Rolando Alvarez, arrested and placed under house arrest in Nicaragua since August, is "
in good health
," Nicaraguan Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes said on Sunday.
Monsignor Alvarez, critic of the regime, "
is in good health, spiritually he is fine
" and the Church "
keeps hope
" of reaching a solution, Archbishop Brenes of Managua told AFP.
“
He considers that this is a moment in his career and that he will be able to learn from this experience
,” Bishop Brenes told AFP.
Pope Francis “
told us that we must keep hope
,” Bishop Brenes continued.
“
The Holy See is taking steps
,” he added, without giving further details.
Ignoring the outstretched hand of the pope who insisted on the need for "
dialogue
", Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega called the Catholic Church at the end of September a "
perfect dictatorship
".
Read alsoDaniel Ortega's Nicaragua targets the Church
Pope Francis had insisted on September 15 on the need to "
never stop the dialogue
" with Nicaragua, where tensions are rising between the State and the Catholic Church.
“
We spoke with the government.
There is a dialogue.
It does not mean that we approve of everything the government does.
Or that we disapprove of everything
,” said the Argentine pope.
In March, Nicaragua expelled the Vatican ambassador.
And in August, Monsignor Rolando Alvarez, a critic of the regime, was arrested and placed under house arrest, according to the police who cited “
destabilizing and provocative
” activities by the bishop.
The European Union and the United States have imposed numerous sanctions on Nicaragua and regime figures over the past four years, citing human rights violations in particular.
The EU has also called for the release of more than 200 imprisoned opponents.