Bishop Mora Ortega was born in Matagalpa and received priestly ordination on September 20, 2003. Before being appointed by Pope Francis as Bishop of Siuna, on April 8, 2021, he was vicar general of the Diocese of Matagalpa.
In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, in power uninterruptedly since 2007, has directed his attacks against Catholic institutions and various members of the clergy. The attacks have intensified since 2018, the year in which the dictatorship violently repressed massive civil protests against the regime, receiving harsh criticism from Catholic leaders, such as Bishop Rolando Álvarez.
According to the latest update of Molina’s study, from 2018 to 2023 the Church in Nicaragua has endured 740 attacks against it. In 2023 alone, 275 attacks were carried out, making it the year with the most attacks against the Church in the recent five-year period.
Mons. Álvarez, a well-known defender of human rights and considered one of the most prominent critics of the dictatorship, is unjustly imprisoned. Earlier this year he was sentenced to 26 years in prison for alleged treason, after refusing to be deported to the United States along with other political prisoners.