  

    <html>
      <head>
        <meta charset="UTF-8" />
        <script type="text/javascript">
            
            var stats_getHTTPObject_27800_en = function () {
                var xhr = false;
                if (window.XMLHttpRequest) {
                    xhr = new XMLHttpRequest();
                } else if (window.ActiveXObject) {
                    try {
                        xhr = new ActiveXObject("Msxml2.XMLHTTP");
                    } catch(e) {
                        try {
                            xhr = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP");
                        } catch(e) {
                            xhr = false;
                        }
                    }
                }
                return xhr;
            };

            var stats_submit_27800_en = function () {
                if (undefined !== window.statistics_request_sent__27800_en) {
                    return;
                }
                window.statistics_request_sent__27800_en = true;

                var stats_request = stats_getHTTPObject_27800_en();
                stats_request.onreadystatechange = function() {};

                var read_date = new Date();
                var read_path = "_statistics/reader/1/";
                var request_randomizer = "" + read_date.getTime() + Math.random();
                var stats_url = "https://elfaro.net/" + read_path + "27806/";
                try {
                    stats_request.open("GET", stats_url + "?randomizer=" + request_randomizer, true);
                    stats_request.send(null);
                    /* not everybody has jquery installed
                    $.ajax({
                        url: stats_url,
                        data: {randomizer: request_randomizer},
                        success: function() {}
                    });
                    */
                } catch (e) {}
            };
            stats_submit_27800_en();
            
            </script>
        <style>
          body
          ,
          code[class*="language-"]
          ,
          pre[class*="language-"]
          {

          }
        </style>


        <!-- INIT -->
        <link rel="canonical" href="https://elfaro.net/en/202505/el_salvador/27800"/>
        <noscript>
          <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="5;URL=https://elfaro.net/en/202505/el_salvador/27800">
        </noscript>
        <meta charset="utf-8"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script type="text/javascript">var IE_fix=true;</script><![endif]-->
        
        <!-- /ENDS -->
      </head>
      <body>

        {"code":"27800","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"476","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202505\/el_salvador\/27800","link_edit":"","name":"Return of Mining to El Salvador Awakens a Quiet Catholic Church","slug":"return-of-mining-to-el-salvador-awakens-a-quiet-catholic-church","info":"The Catholic Church in San Salvador has gone from blessing Nayib Bukele\u2019s unconstitutional reelection and the state of exception to gathering tens of thousands of signatures against his unilateral decision to reactivate metals mining. Bukele has responded testily, drawing from a smear playbook in Daniel Ortega\u2019s Nicaragua, where priests are imprisoned or exiled and mass is held under state surveillance and veto.","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"Yuliana Ramazzini and Roman Gressier","data":{"yuliana-ramazzini-and-roman-gressier":{"sort":"","slug":"yuliana-ramazzini-and-roman-gressier","path":"yuliana_ramazzini_and_roman_gressier","name":"Yuliana Ramazzini and Roman Gressier"}}},"view":"476","pict":{"cms-image-000041811-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"41811","name":"cms-image-000041811.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041811.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041811.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041811-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas addresses reporters\u00a0on March 18, 2025, during the delivery of 150,000 signatures supporting a petition to repeal the General Metal Mining Law approved in December 2024 by the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly in San Salvador. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ESan Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas addresses reporters\u00a0on March 18, 2025, during the delivery of 150,000 signatures supporting a petition to repeal the General Metal Mining Law approved in December 2024 by the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly in San Salvador. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041812-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41812","name":"cms-image-000041812.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041812.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041812.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041812-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;San Salvador Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas (left) and Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez deliver a press conference on Mar. 7, 2018, on the canonization of Archbishop \u00d3scar Arnulfo Romero. Romero who was shot dead on Mar. 24, 1980, while celebrating mass. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ESan Salvador Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas (left) and Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez deliver a press conference on Mar. 7, 2018, on the canonization of Archbishop \u00d3scar Arnulfo Romero. Romero who was shot dead on Mar. 24, 1980, while celebrating mass. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041813-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41813","name":"cms-image-000041813.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041813.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041813.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041813-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas speaks at Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration of a second term on June 1, 2024, in San Salvador. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ESan Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas speaks at Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration of a second term on June 1, 2024, in San Salvador. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041814-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41814","name":"cms-image-000041814.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041814.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041814.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041814-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Argentinian megapastor Dante Gebel was one of the two religious leaders, alongside the archbishop of San Salvador, to address thousands of people congregated in the capital of El Salvador to celebrate Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration. The prominent religious leaders gave their blessing to Bukele's continuity in power. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EArgentinian megapastor Dante Gebel was one of the two religious leaders, alongside the archbishop of San Salvador, to address thousands of people congregated in the capital of El Salvador to celebrate Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration. The prominent religious leaders gave their blessing to Bukele's continuity in power. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041815-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41815","name":"cms-image-000041815.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041815.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041815.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041815-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Handout by Nicaraguan state media outlet El 19 Digital showing Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez (right) eating with his siblings Vilma and Manuel Antonio at the Jorge Navarro prison in the outskirts of Managua, on Mar. 25, 2023. Two weeks earlier, a Nicaraguan court sentenced the Catholic bishop to 26 years in prison after he refused to board a U.S.-bound plane carrying 222 political prisoners into exile. Photo El 19 Digital\/AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EHandout by Nicaraguan state media outlet El 19 Digital showing Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez (right) eating with his siblings Vilma and Manuel Antonio at the Jorge Navarro prison in the outskirts of Managua, on Mar. 25, 2023. Two weeks earlier, a Nicaraguan court sentenced the Catholic bishop to 26 years in prison after he refused to board a U.S.-bound plane carrying 222 political prisoners into exile. Photo El 19 Digital\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041816-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41816","name":"cms-image-000041816.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041816.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041816.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041816-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Matagalpa Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez speaks to the press at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Church in Managua, on May 20, 2022. \u00c1lvarez, a strong critic of Daniel Ortega's government, had started a hunger strike in protest against what he considered a police siege against him. Photo AFP&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EMatagalpa Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez speaks to the press at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Church in Managua, on May 20, 2022. \u00c1lvarez, a strong critic of Daniel Ortega's government, had started a hunger strike in protest against what he considered a police siege against him. Photo AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":41811,"date":{"live":"2025\/04\/03"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2025","data_post_dateLive_MM":"04","data_post_dateLive_DD":"03","text":"\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-eb0aacc9-7fff-14bc-8e27-4b30ae74fdfc\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003EEl Faro English translates Central America.\u003C\/span\u003E\u00a0\u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003ESubscribe\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003E\u00a0to our newsletter.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn March 24, on the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Monsignor \u00d3scar Arnulfo Romero, social movements marched to the Supreme Court in San Salvador carrying a banner of the iconic San Salvador \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202003\/el_salvador\/24088\/A-5-Millimeter-Hole.htm\"\u003Earchbishop and human rights defender\u003C\/a\u003E. With 60,000 signatures, they filed a lawsuit arguing that the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202412\/opinion\/27691\/water-over-gold-15-reasons-why-el-salvador-should-again-reject-gold-mining\"\u003EDecember reactivation of metals mining\u003C\/a\u003E is unconstitutional. These added to the 150,000 presented by Catholic bishops on March 18, calling on the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly to repeal the law.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECondemnations of mining are cutting across Christian theological lines. A letter by the Episcopal Conference calls the signatures \u201cthe voice of the people who are clamouring for the repeal of the Mining Law, as it is highly damaging to human life and the environment.\u201d Evangelical pastor Mario Vega told El Faro English of his \u201cChristian responsibility to speak out against it for theological, ethical and social reasons.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cIn 2017, we also participated in the collection of a little over 100,000 signatures,\u201d Vega contextualizes. \u201cWith that, we achieved the ban on metal mining.\u201d This time around, more signatures were gathered under a state of exception suspending due process rights, in which a majority of Salvadorans express fear of stating political opinions in public and police stop and frisk bus passengers when expecting protests in San Salvador.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe petitions are an explicit rebuke of Nayib Bukele\u2019s November 28 announcement on X that \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202411\/ef_audio\/27649\/Podcast-Bukele-Tightens-Grip-On-Internet.htm\"\u003EEl Salvador would move to reverse the ban\u003C\/a\u003E, on the claim that \u201cGod placed a giant treasure underneath our feet: El Salvador potentially has the gold deposits of greatest density per square kilometer in the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMoreover, this criticism of a major Bukele policy is a sharp turn for the Catholic church in San Salvador. Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas, in that role since 2006, gave his blessing at Bukele\u2019s unconstitutional inauguration in June 2024, having \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PrensaCyanAL\/status\/1574091677341548545\"\u003Ecalled reelection\u003C\/a\u003E \u201ca request that the people have repeatedly made.\u201d State media was \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/diarioelsalvador.com\/la-voz-del-pueblo\/277700\/\"\u003Equick to highlight\u003C\/a\u003E when he said in September 2022, six months into the suspension of constitutional guarantees, that Salvadorans \u201cnow see the light at the end of the tunnel.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2666&ImageId=41813 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas speaks at Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration of a second term on June 1, 2024, in San Salvador. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas speaks at Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration of a second term on June 1, 2024, in San Salvador. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=6000&ImageId=41814 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Argentinian megapastor Dante Gebel was one of the two religious leaders, alongside the archbishop of San Salvador, to address thousands of people congregated in the capital of El Salvador to celebrate Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration. The prominent religious leaders gave their blessing to Bukele's continuity in power. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Argentinian megapastor Dante Gebel was one of the two religious leaders, alongside the archbishop of San Salvador, to address thousands of people congregated in the capital of El Salvador to celebrate Nayib Bukele's unconstitutional inauguration. The prominent religious leaders gave their blessing to Bukele's continuity in power. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EArchbishop Escobar Alas has a complicated record on human rights. In September 2013, he \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.elfaro.net\/es\/201309\/noticias\/13493\/\"\u003Eclosed the Legal Aid Office\u003C\/a\u003E founded by Romero, leaving cases such as the El Mozote massacre and an archive of more than 50,000 complaints without legal assistance. In January 2021, Escobar Alas at first refused to allow a judicial inspection of the archdiocese\u2019s archives relating to the El Mozote trial held that April, including \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202101\/el_salvador\/25164\/Juez-revisar%C3%A1-documentos-ropa-y-proyectiles-de-la-masacre-del-Mozote-en-archivos-de-la-Iglesia.htm\"\u003Esignificant documentary evidence\u003C\/a\u003E. Three days later, he backpedaled and said he would not stand in the way.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Catholic Church\u2019s reactivation as a critical voice comes at a delicate time for civil society groups \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202502\/ef_audio\/27760\/podcast-salvadoran-police-re-arrest-activist-who-sued-director-of-prisons-for-torture\"\u003Ecriminalized in El Salvador\u003C\/a\u003E. Noah Bullock, director of Anglican-founded human rights organization Cristosal, says that, on the issue of mining, \u201cthe church is being consistent in analyzing and reaching the same conclusion as the population: \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202412\/opinion\/27691\/water-over-gold-15-reasons-why-el-salvador-should-again-reject-gold-mining\"\u003EMining puts life at risk\u003C\/a\u003E in a country with a water crisis.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele reserved criticism until recently. On February 2, he mocked the church\u2019s stance: \u201cSuch a grand effort to stop mining from the biggest holders of gold in the world,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nayibbukele\/status\/1885863611232370837\"\u003Ehe wrote\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHe then put his own spin on \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.elfaro.net\/es\/201203\/noticias\/8063\/Iglesia-Cat%C3%B3lica-asegura-que-medi%C3%B3-en-un-acuerdo-de-paz-entre-la-MS-13-y-el-Barrio-18.htm\"\u003Ethe mediation of Catholic clergy\u003C\/a\u003E between the gangs and Mauricio Funes administration (2009-2014) during a \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.elfaro.net\/es\/201203\/noticias\/8061\"\u003Eceasefire brokered in 2012\u003C\/a\u003E for a reduction in homicides: \u201cThey never said anything when [the gangs] killed 30 Salvadorans a day,\u201d he lied. \u201cThey gave their \u2018blessing\u2019 to negotiate with them.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele, who negotiated with gangs as San Salvador mayor and later as president, still denies that his own government brokered a deal with MS-13 and 18th Street between 2019 and 2022 for reduced homicides and electoral support \u2014 \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202108\/el_salvador\/25670\/Criminal-Investigation-Found-the-Bukele-Administration-Hid-Evidence-of-Negotiations-with-Gangs.htm\"\u003Eand tried to hide the evidence\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cWhen the archbishop differs in his opinion, they attack him, labeling him as opposition,\u201d says Bullock, who was \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/citizenlab.ca\/2022\/01\/project-torogoz-extensive-hacking-media-civil-society-el-salvador-pegasus-spyware\/\"\u003Eillegally surveilled using Pegasus\u003C\/a\u003E and heads an organization which has accused the Salvadoran state of \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202306\/el_salvador\/26881\/there-is-enough-evidence-for-el-salvador-to-be-tried-for-crimes-against-humanity\"\u003Epossible crimes against humanity\u003C\/a\u003E under the state of exception. \u201cThis is evidence that in El Salvador there is no freedom of thought or expression, and that is a symptom of a closing of civic space in general.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2669&ImageId=41811 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas addresses reporters\u00a0on March 18, 2025, during the delivery of 150,000 signatures supporting a petition to repeal the General Metal Mining Law approved in December 2024 by the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly in San Salvador. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E San Salvador Archbishop Jos\u00e9 Luis Escobar Alas addresses reporters\u00a0on March 18, 2025, during the delivery of 150,000 signatures supporting a petition to repeal the General Metal Mining Law approved in December 2024 by the Bukele-controlled Legislative Assembly in San Salvador. Photo Marvin Recinos\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEvangelical heavyweights, meanwhile, are divided. Whereas Vega has \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elsalvadorcom\/videos\/entrevista-con-mario-vega-sobre-capturas-en-el-r%C3%A9gimen-de-excepci%C3%B3n\/1030565067835686\/\"\u003Eopenly criticized\u003C\/a\u003E reelection and arbitrary arrests, prominent Evangelical leader \u201cToby Junior\u201d L\u00f3pez Bertrand is the de-facto president\u2019s open supporter, echoing his security rhetoric: \u201cWe have gotten to the point that we are safer in El Salvador than in France,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@sivarnews\/video\/7286875917421382917\"\u003Eclaimed Toby Jr.\u003C\/a\u003E last year. Asked on the radio about the recent signature-gathering, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/lascosascomosonsv.com\/pastor-toby-jr-sobre-la-mineria-el-objetivo-de-la-iglesia-no-es-recolectar-firmas-es-hacer-conciencia-a-la-luz-de-la-palabra\/\"\u003Ehe danced around the question\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cCommunity organizations, NGOs, unions, cooperatives, and churches feel pressure and face the decision to remain in silence and avoid the consequences of speaking out or taking risks,\u201d concludes Bullock.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-601d5e50-7fff-bf85-facc-81765055b29c\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETo a lesser extent than in Nicaragua, the Jesuit-run Central American University (UCA) in El Salvador has been a target of attacks from Bukele. In February 2022, the Bukele-controlled legislature summoned UCA rector Andreu Oliva before a \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/lapagina.com.sv\/nacionales\/rector-de-la-uca-andreu-oliva-es-citado-por-comision-especial-que-investiga-oeneges\/\"\u003ESpecial Committee for Fa\u00e7ade NGOs\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d supposedly to investigate millions of dollars embezzled under past governments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe UCA mounted a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/uca_es\/status\/1489338950871355392\"\u003Elive fact-check\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cI never approached any authority [of different governments] to arrange allotments for the university, because these never existed,\u201d Oliva responded. \u201cSTOP THE DISINFORMATION,\u201d added the university in capital letters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENicaragua: scorched earth\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201dI always believed in my freedom,\u201d said Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez, a former political prisoner stripped of his citizenship, last month in the Vatican, in his first \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jlMoi-rv3Fw\"\u003Einterview outside Nicaragua\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cI do not feel exiled, but rather liberated, and in the diaspora.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u00c1lvarez, a mediator of peace talks between the Ortega-Murillo regime and dissidents in 2018, was arrested in 2022 on charges of treason and spreading fake news to \u201cdestabilize the country.\u201d He refused to be expelled on a plane with \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202302\/centroamerica\/26715\/political-prisoners-expelled-from-nicaragua-land-in-us-limbo\"\u003E222 other political prisoners\u003C\/a\u003E in February 2023, and was next sentenced to 26 years in prison and imprisoned until his expulsion to the Vatican in January 2024 alongside 18 other priests.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENowhere in Central America is freedom of religion tighter than in Nicaragua, where, ironically, Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo two decades ago \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/201108\/internacionales\/5372\/Nicaragua-Camal%C3%A9onicos-cambios-de-Ortega-en-pol%C3%ADtica.htm\"\u003Erebranded\u003C\/a\u003E as Christian. A recently decreed new constitution installing them as \u201cco-presidents\u201d, erasing the separation of powers, and formalizing single-party rule, also orders the religious to remain \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.laprensani.com\/2024\/11\/21\/politica\/3404778-reforma-constitucional-amenaza-la-comunion-entre-el-vaticano-y-la-iglesia-en-nicaragua\"\u003Efree from foreign control\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3807&ImageHeight=2539&ImageId=41816 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Matagalpa Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez speaks to the press at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Church in Managua, on May 20, 2022. \u00c1lvarez, a strong critic of Daniel Ortega's government, had started a hunger strike in protest against what he considered a police siege against him. Photo AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Matagalpa Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez speaks to the press at the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas Church in Managua, on May 20, 2022. \u00c1lvarez, a strong critic of Daniel Ortega's government, had started a hunger strike in protest against what he considered a police siege against him. Photo AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMurillo, whose communiqu\u00e9s include phrases such as \u201cLight and truth\u201d, accused exiled bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez and other clergy of being pedophiles. She has also called them \u201c\u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202411\/ef_audio\/27635\/Podcast-Ortega's-Onslaught-Against-Catholic-Priests-Marches-On.htm\"\u003Eagents of the devil\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d After her now-exiled daughter Zoilam\u00e9rica Ortega Murillo denounced Daniel Ortega in 1998 for child abuse and rape, Murillo took her husband\u2019s side.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EDozens of Nicaraguan clergy like \u00c1lvarez have been \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/english\/more-than-200-clergy-persecuted-exiled-or-imprisoned-by-the-ortega-regime\/\"\u003Eimprisoned or exiled\u003C\/a\u003E, with at least 27 priests arbitrarily arrested between last October to January, per the U.N. Human Rights Council. Others have been forced to send photographs and weekly plans to police officers, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Mass is under state surveillance.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA de-facto ban on processions under a 2018 prohibition of unauthorized gatherings led to the April 2023 arrest of journalist V\u00edctor Ticay for covering the procession known as Se\u00f1or de La Rese\u00f1a, in Nandaime. He was expelled to Guatemala in September 2024 with 134 other ex-political prisoners. Episcopal Conference President Enrique Herrera in November was banished from Nicaragua after \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202411\/ef_audio\/27635\/Podcast-Ortega's-Onslaught-Against-Catholic-Priests-Marches-On.htm\"\u003Ecriticizing municipal noise\u003C\/a\u003E during services.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAmong the 135 who landed in Guatemala were 11 pastors from the Mountain Gateway church. Imprisoned on charges of money laundering and fraud, their families received no news of the missionaries from their arrest in December 2023 until their expulsion. Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have also been \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.laprensani.com\/2024\/07\/24\/derecho-humano-ni\/3351522-expertos-onu-exponen-persecucion-testigos-jehova\"\u003Ebarred from hosting\u003C\/a\u003E communal bible studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2822&ImageId=41815 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Handout by Nicaraguan state media outlet El 19 Digital showing Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez (right) eating with his siblings Vilma and Manuel Antonio at the Jorge Navarro prison in the outskirts of Managua, on Mar. 25, 2023. Two weeks earlier, a Nicaraguan court sentenced the Catholic bishop to 26 years in prison after he refused to board a U.S.-bound plane carrying 222 political prisoners into exile. Photo El 19 Digital\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Handout by Nicaraguan state media outlet El 19 Digital showing Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando \u00c1lvarez (right) eating with his siblings Vilma and Manuel Antonio at the Jorge Navarro prison in the outskirts of Managua, on Mar. 25, 2023. Two weeks earlier, a Nicaraguan court sentenced the Catholic bishop to 26 years in prison after he refused to board a U.S.-bound plane carrying 222 political prisoners into exile. Photo El 19 Digital\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECentral American University\u2019s facilities in Nicaragua were confiscated in August 2023, including the archive of the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202402\/centroamerica\/27261\/%E2%80%9CAcademia-is-the-new-political-battlefield-in-Central-America%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003EInstitute of History of Nicaragua and Central America\u003C\/a\u003E, containing tens of thousands of documents. The regime similarly shuttered over two-dozen schools, including the Nicaraguan Evangelical University. The UCA and its leaders were accused of being \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/es\/am%C3%A9rica-latina\/20230816-daniel-ortega-confisca-la-jesuita-universidad-centroamericana-tras-acusarla-de-terrorismo\"\u003Ea center of terrorism\u003C\/a\u003E.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELast August, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/nacion\/el-cierre-de-la-uca-dano-a-nicaragua-ortega-y-murillo-van-a-terminar-mal\/\"\u003Ein an interview with Confidencial\u003C\/a\u003E on the first anniversary of the illegal confiscation of the UCA, Father Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Tojeira, Jesuit spokesperson in Nicaragua and former UCA rector in El Salvador, said his main hope for the recovery of the university was through a \u201cchange of regime\u201d. By then, 2,000 Nicaraguan university students had applied to continue their Jesuit studies in Guatemala or El Salvador.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn its place, Ortega and Murillo erected the state-controlled Casimiro Sotelo National University. Its first rector, Alejandro Genet, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/politica\/estados-unidos-incluye-en-la-lista-engel-a-cuatro-funcionarios-orteguistas\/\"\u003Esanctioned\u003C\/a\u003E by the Biden administration for enforcing Sandinista party activity for employees and students, lasted 15 months before his dismissal at the end of November 2024, as the university \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/confidencial.digital\/nacion\/destituyen-a-alejandro-genet-como-rector-de-la-casimiro-sotelo\/\"\u003Estruggled to retain students\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EErnesto Medina, former rector of the American University (UAM) and the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua (UNAN), \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=asWENr9V6Do\"\u003Etold Confidencial\u003C\/a\u003E: \u201dThey underestimated the youth [of the UCA], thinking that the students would continue going, that it was only a change of name. But they didn't show up.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt appears that the \u201cSandinista guillotine\u201d, the regime\u2019s policy of annulling thousands of critical civil society organizations, is not as mighty at keeping classrooms full.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Chr \/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003EThis article first appeared in the April 3 edition of the El Faro English newsletter.\u00a0\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003ESubscribe here\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #888888;\"\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"}

      </body>
    </html>