Nicaragua says it released Bishop Rolando Álvarez, 18 priests from jail, handed them over to Vatican

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Nicaraguan government said Sunday it released Bishop Rolando Álvarez and 18 clergy members from jail and handed them over to Vatican authorities.

The government said in a press statement the release was part of negotiations with the Vatican. In the past, imprisoned priests have been quickly flown to Rome.

The government of President Daniel Ortega said those released Sunday also included Bishop Isidoro Mora.

Ortega’s government sent 222 prisoners to the United States in February in a deal brokered by the U.S. government and later stripped those prisoners of their citizenship.

Bishop Álvarez has remained in prison for more than a year after being convicted of conspiracy and receiving a 26-year prison sentence. He refused to get on the February flight to the United States.

Álvarez, one of the country’s most outspoken clergy members, had refused to get on the flight without being able to consult with other bishops.

Since repressing popular protests in 2018 that called for his resignation, President Daniel Ortega’s government has systematically silenced opposing voices and zeroed in on the church.

In October, Nicaragua released a dozen Catholic priests jailed on a variety of charges and sent them to Rome following an agreement with the Vatican.