Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega calls Catholic Church 'dictatorship'

Managua: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday called the Catholic Church a “perfect dictatorship” for not allowing members to elect the pope and other authority figures. In the Church, “everything is imposed, it’s a perfect dictatorship, it’s a perfect tyranny,” he said, amidst ongoing tensions between his government and the religious institution. “If they are going to be democratic, let them start with Catholics voting for the pope, for cardinals, for bishops,” he said during a televised speech to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Nicaraguan police’s establishment. The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been under increasing government pressure since being accused by Ortega of backing protests against his government in 2018. The demonstrations were met with a crackdown that left hundreds dead. Ortega maintains the protests were part of a United States-backed opposition plot to unseat him, and accuses bishops of complicity. During his speech Wednesday, Ortega called out bishops and priests as “killers” and “coup plotters”. Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, earlier this month insisted on the importance of “never stopping the dialogue” with Nicaragua. “There is a dialogue. We are talking with the government,” the pope said. “That does not mean that we approve of everything the government does, or that we disapprove.” In March, Nicaragua expelled the Vatican’s ambassador to the country. In August, a bishop critical of the government, Rolando Alvarez, was put on house arrest for what police called “destabilizing and provocative” activities, drawing concern from Pope Francis and condemnation from the United States. At least four priests and two seminarians were also arrested, with police not specifying the charges against them. And in July, a group of nuns was forced to leave the country when their order, the Missionaries of Charity, was outlawed. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.