US Condemns Detention of Nicaraguan Bishop as Church Awaits Proof of His Safety

US condemns detention of Nicaraguan bishop as Church awaits proof of his safety

(OSV News) — Another Nicaraguan bishop remains missing after being apprehended by police, drawing a rebuke from the United States for the ongoing “attacks on religious freedom” in the increasingly authoritarian country. Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata was detained by police June 29 — one day after celebrating a Mass in the city of Estelí, during which he requested prayers for the country’s persecuted Catholic Church, according to independent Nicaragua…

Nicaraguans Demand Proof of Life for Missing Bishop a Week After His Arrest

Nicaraguan human rights activists demanded the Ortega regime show proof of life of 80-year-old Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata.

Church repression deepens as another Nicaraguan bishop disappears: 'No place for evil dictators in our hemisphere' - The Dialog

Another Nicaraguan bishop remains missing after being apprehended by police, drawing a rebuke from the United States for the ongoing “attacks on religious freedom” in the increasingly authoritarian country. Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata was detained by police June 29 — one day after celebrating a Mass in the city of Estelí, during which he requested prayers for the country’s persecuted Catholic Church, according to independent Nicaraguan news outlet…

The United States Intervenes Following the Arrest of a Catholic Bishop by the Nicaraguan Dictatorship - ZENIT

(ZENIT News / Managua, 07.06.2026).- The disappearance from public view of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata has become the latest flashpoint in the long-running confrontation between Nicaragua’s government and the Catholic Church. Days after the 80-year-old bishop was reportedly detained following a Mass in which he prayed for the country’s persecuted Church, conflicting accounts of his whereabouts have only intensified concern both inside Nicaragua an…