Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, Nicaragua, Arrested Days After Homily Supporting Imprisoned Bishop Rolando Álvarez

Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, Nicaragua, was detained on December 20 while traveling to La Cruz de Río Grande to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation. Detroit Catholic reported that police and paramilitaries stopped him, while The Dialog reported that he was arrested. Both reports describe the detention as the arrest of a second Nicaraguan bishop after Bishop Mora voiced support for Bishop Rolando Álvarez.

According to Detroit Catholic, two seminarians traveling with Bishop Mora were also detained, citing Martha Patricia Molina. The Dialog, citing Mosaico CSI, reported that he was accompanied by two seminarians at the time of the detention.

Both reports link the detention to a homily Bishop Mora gave in Matagalpa. Detroit Catholic, citing Mosaico CSI, said he gave the homily days earlier at the Cathedral of St. Peter and that it expressed support for Bishop Álvarez. The Dialog said his remarks at a Mass in Matagalpa referred to the collective prayers of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference for Bishop Álvarez, and that the arrest followed the homily. Neither report establishes the government’s reasons for the detention. Detroit Catholic said the motives were not immediately clear, and The Dialog said they remain unspecified.

Bishop Álvarez has been held since a predawn raid on his diocesan curia in August 2022, according to Detroit Catholic. He was convicted in February 2023 on charges of spreading false information and conspiracy and was sentenced to 26 years in prison. The Dialog reported the same sentence and said the charges arose after he criticized President Daniel Ortega. Detroit Catholic also reported that the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference has refrained from public statements on Bishop Álvarez’s detention.

Molina, as cited by Detroit Catholic, said at least 176 Catholic priests and religious have been exiled from Nicaragua or refused re-entry since 2018. The Dialog reported the same figure, describing those affected as exiled or barred from returning. Bishop Mora’s detention and the earlier cases of Bishop Álvarez, the priests, and the religious are the subject of the reports cited here, which do not state whether any charges have been filed against Bishop Mora or the seminarians.