Bishop Rolando Álvarez travels to Spain after his exile in Rome

Mons. Rolando Alvarez, Bishop of Matagalpa (Nicaragua) exiled in Rome Since January of this year, he has visited the Spanish city of Seville.

This could be the first time that the Apostolic Administrator of Estelí leaves Italy since he was deported by the Daniel Ortega regime. after spending more than 18 months in prison.

The Archbishop of Seville, Mons. José Ángel Saiz Meneses, was the one who reported about the meeting with Mons. Rolando through his profile on the social network X.

Without communicating the exact date of the meeting, Bishop Saiz Meneses said on Thursday, June 6, that the Nicaraguan bishop had made a “courtesy and rest visit” to the Archbishop’s Palace, seminary, cathedral and priestly house of the city.

In addition, the Spanish archbishop published two photographs in which both prelates can be seen smiling and chatting in a relaxed manner.

This is the second public appearance since the deportation of the bishop known for his unwavering defense of human rights and harsh criticism of the Nicaraguan dictatorship.

It is worth remembering that on January 15 of this year, the first images of the bishop along with other banished priests while celebrating Mass in a church in Rome.

Who is Bishop Rolando Álvarez?

Mons. Rolando Álvarez was forced to remain confined inside his episcopal house from the beginning of August 2022along with priests, seminarians and a layman.

Two weeks later, when they had almost run out of food, the police broke into the house and kidnapped Mons. Álvarez to Managua, the capital of the country.

In the midst of a questioned process, the dictatorship sentenced him on February 10, 2023 to 26 years and four months in prison, accusing him of “traitor to the country.” Since then, he has been held in jail. The modelwhere political prisoners are sent.

One day before being condemned, Mons. Alvarez he had refused to get on a plane in which the dictatorship deported more than 200 political prisoners to the United States.

Bishop Rolando Álvarez was finally deported to Rome on January 14, 2024, after mediation by the Vatican, together with the Bishop of Siuna, Bishop Isidoro Mora; other priests and seminarians.