Pope 'near' to Nicaraguans after arson attack in Managua cathedral

Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to Catholics in Nicaragua and assured them of prayers following the firebomb attack on Managua’s cathedral that damaged the chapel and a 382-year-old image of the crucified Christ.

“I am thinking of the people of Nicaragua who are suffering because of the attack in the Cathedral of Managua, where an image of Christ that is highly venerated, that has accompanied and sustained the life of the faithful people for centuries, was greatly damaged -- almost destroyed”, he said speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square after his Angelus address Aug. 2. 

“My dear brothers and sisters in Nicaragua, I am near you and am praying for you,” he said.

On July 31, an unknown attacker entered Managua’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and threw a Molotov cocktail at a 382-year-old image of the crucifix that went up in flames. The fire was quickly brought under control and there were no injuries in the attack.

Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes of Managua, called the incident “an act of terrorism.” His Archdiocese of Managua, in a statement, said the attack was “deplorable” and “offends and deeply wounds” all Catholics in Nicaragua.

Pope St. John Paul II visited the cathedral and prayed before the now-destroyed image in 1996.

According to local media reports, attacks are said to have taken place in two other churches in recent weeks.

Such attacks come amid tensions with the government and the Catholic Church.

Catholic churches offered refuge to students and opposition members during protests against the government headed by President Daniel Ortega. Security forces have already killed at least 320 protesters, with hundreds more arrested.

The powerful Catholic Church in Nicaragua has brokered several rounds of peace talks between President Ortega and opposition groups but the Church feels persecuted by the military forces of the government.

This is largely because bishops have exhorted people "to exercise their right to peacefully demonstrate on the basis of civic and evangelical values" while the government has criticized the Church for defending the demands of the demonstrators.

Talks with the government have stalled since the Bishops' Conference of Nicaragua requested Ortega to bring forward the 2021 presidential election and to implement constitutional reforms, two key demands of the demonstrators.

Ortega has attacked the Catholic Church and priests who criticize the regime's repression, crimes and violations of rights and freedoms.

However, the Catholic Church continues to strike a compromise between the government and the opposition in the central American nation whose people are 58 percent Catholic and 23 percent evangelical. 

The local Catholic Church has also been at odds with the government over the COVID-19 pandemic. It has criticized the government for blocking all types of help and information that organizations or individuals seek to provide to the most vulnerable. 

Nicaragua does not have any national restriction or measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the country's authoritarian Sandinista president's regime has downplayed the deaths in this pandemic by saying more people die from traffic accidents, drowning and other diseases.

Ortega, while ruling out a quarantine, had also defended "normality" arguing that it will help the poorest.

The Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua, headed by Cardinal José Brenes, has taken an opposing stand.

"Any measure taken to safeguard the lives of Nicaraguans will always be over any other interest, since safeguarding life is our greatest common good. It is urgent to equip public health personnel with the necessary protective equipment to avoid further contagion among them," it said in its May 12 pastoral letter.