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Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz Diocese of JacksonAs ‘Catechism in a Year’ podcast launches, listeners seek clarity amid chaos
By Maria Wierin
(OSV News) – “Oh ya baby!” read Jane Hernandez’s Facebook post, adorned with a heart-eyed, smiley face emoji. The Nov. 22 message was paired with an image from a package tracker, showing an item as being just four days away.
The anticipated purchase: a new copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – and just in time for “The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)” podcast’s 2023 debut.
Hernandez, a lifelong Catholic who lives in central Nebraska’s Sandhills, is among more than 112,000 members of an official Facebook group for “The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz).”
“I’m hoping that it shows me the way to be a better Catholic, to be a better person, better able to follow God’s word,” Hernandez, 60, said of the podcast.
The Jan. 1 launch of “The Catechism in a Year” podcast has generated notable excitement – especially among listeners of “The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)” podcast, which jumped to the No. 1 spot on Apple podcasts overall within 48 hours of its 2021 New Year’s Day launch.
“The Catechism in a Year” followed suit, topping Apple podcasts’ all categories chart Jan. 1.
Even before its launch, “The Catechism in a Year” hit No. 1 on Apple’s “Religion and Spirituality” chart, with “The Bible in a Year” at No. 2, as of Dec. 27. Both are products of Ascension, a Catholic publisher based in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Part of the appeal of both podcasts is the host, Father Mike Schmitz, a priest of the Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, who had a robust social media presence prior to the podcast, and the podcast’s occasional commentary from Jeff Cavins, a Scripture scholar and former host of EWTN’s “Life on the Rock,” now living in a Minneapolis suburb.
Father Schmitz told OSV News he initially pitched the idea of a podcast exploring the Bible and the catechism simultaneously, but Ascension leaders “wisely” advised him to focus on one at a time.
“After reading through the whole Bible, I think people want to connect the dots,” he said. “They now understand the story of salvation in Scripture, they’re seeing the world through the ‘lens of Scripture.’ But how does that connect to the seven sacraments, to Catholic traditions, to the 2,000 years of history in our Catholic Church? I think people are curious and spiritually hungry and want to see how we got from the Acts of the Apostles to where the church is today.”
Cavins suspects there’s something more to the widespread interest in “The Catechism in a Year” beyond the success of “The Bible in a Year.” He credits the Holy Spirit, but he also thinks anticipation is sparked, in part, by the national and international turmoil of recent years, from U.S. politics to the pandemic, and people’s hunger for real truth.
“People are confused. They are hungry, they are scared, and we are offering them a sure foundation,” said Cavins, who developed the popular “The Great Adventure Bible Timeline,” the organizational basis for “The Bible in a Year” podcast.
– Searching for answers –
Other Catholic catechetical leaders agree that cultural confusion and division are driving Catholics’ desire to better understand the faith.
“I think people have seen a lot of chaos and a lot of things that just aren’t right, and that they have this desire to know the truth, and to understand why we do what we do,” said Kelly Wahlquist, executive director of the Archbishop Flynn Catechetical Institute, which Cavins helped to found in 2008 at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This year, the Catechetical Institute’s two-year foundational course “Pillars” is at its highest enrollment yet: 697 students between its first-year and second-year classes.
Polarization not only within broader society but also in the church has prompted people to wonder what the church actually teaches, said Donna Grimes, assistant director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church. In recent years, Catholic thought leaders have shared conflicting information about the church’s stance on controversial issues, including same-sex attraction, the liturgy and women’s role in the church – some of the same issues that received attention on diocesan and national levels in preparation for the worldwide Synod on Synodality.
“We have a duty and an obligation to really share the faith, to accompany people as they are exploring and growing in the faith and to continue to encourage that growth. And it just can’t be done without a focus on adult faith formation,” said Grimes, a longtime catechist and author of “All God’s People: Effective Catechesis in a Diverse Church” published in 2017 by Loyola Press in Chicago.
Grimes said anticipation for “The Catechism in a Year” podcast is not the only indicator that many Catholics want to better understand their faith, including Catholics from diverse ethnic communities, who may come from parishes without resources for paid faith formation staff, she said. She pointed to the success of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans and the Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership in San Antonio, Texas.
Other initiatives underway include the OSV project Real+True, which includes videos and other content “to unlock the beauty and wisdom of the Catechism” and help people discover Jesus.
“The Catechism is not a textbook, a collection of ideas, or a set of rules. It is the faithful echo of a God who wishes to reveal himself to us and desires us to respond,” its website states.
– Catechism’s history –
Religious instruction in the Catholic Church has long included “catechisms,” or written summaries of core Catholic beliefs.
According to the USCCB’s website, a catechism is a book that “contains the fundamental Christian truths formulated in a way that facilitates their understanding,” and can be either “major” or “minor.”
“A major catechism is a resource or a point of reference for the development of minor catechisms,” it states, pointing to the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an example of a major catechism, and the U.S. bishops’ 1885 Baltimore Catechism as an example of a minor catechism.
In 1992, Pope St. John Paul II issued the Catechism of the Catholic Church for universal use, with an English edition published in the United States in 1994. The project was overseen by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and later became Pope Benedict XVI. The effort has been among his celebrated contributions in the wake of his Dec. 31 death.
It was updated in 1997, and then revised in 2018 by Pope Francis.
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI issued the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a synthesis of the catechism in Q&A format.
– Catechism and Bible connections –
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is organized in four parts based on the Apostles’ Creed, the sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and Christian prayer.
Jane Hernandez, author of the Facebook post celebrating her enroute catechism, became interested in “The Catechism in a Year” podcast after following “The Bible in a Year” in 2021. As with the Bible, she had tried several times to read the catechism – and even tried to listen to it on Audible – but it didn’t “stick,” she said.
“After ‘Bible in a Year,’ I was able to really hear God’s Word, and I want to follow him the best way that I can,” said Hernandez, who works as a project manager for a medical software development company. “I think the catechism is part of that. It’s giving you … the structure to follow him – what should you do in order to be a good Catholic? That’s what I’m looking for.”
Like Cavins and others, Hernandez thinks people are eager to sift through confusion about church teaching and how they should live. “People are just thirsty. They’re hungry for this information, so that’s what I think is driving a lot of (interest),” she said.
Cavins acknowledged that “The Catechism in a Year” may not attract as many listeners as “The Bible in a Year,” which again topped Apple podcast’s charts at the beginning of 2022 and hovered at No. 25 in the United States at the end of the year. However, “CIY” listeners familiar with Scripture – including “BIY” devotees – will be rewarded by the connections they see between the Bible and the catechism, he said.
The Bible tells the story of salvation history, and the catechism shows a person how to join that story, he said. Cavins said approaching the catechism through that lens elevates it beyond the reference-book status it currently enjoys in many Catholics’ homes.
“You can present the message of the catechism two ways: One, it’s information and data about Catholicism. … It’s not going to be successful, and no one’s going to be that interested in it. And unfortunately, that’s sort of where it’s stuck right now,” he said. “The second is, it accompanies the (salvation history) story, and you’re in the story. And this is what’s going to help you live that story in a practical way.”
– Faith must be shared –
Petroc Willey and William Keimig, leaders of the Catechetical Institute at Franciscan University of Steubenville, which partners with 111 dioceses and has 1,000 new people a month connecting to their offerings, said that initiatives like “The Catechism in a Year” tap into “immense amounts of hidden strength in the church” and people’s “zeal … to be fed,” but that for faith formation to truly take root, it must be shared with others.
Even the best content can not replace the role of relationships in conveying the faith, said Keimig, the institute’s assistant director.
“However good the topics are … a desire to access it does not become consistent or sustained in an adult’s life unless it is accompanied by some structure or relationship,” he added.
Willey, the institute’s director and a professor of catechetics, suggested that the podcast’s listeners “make a decision to share one thing that struck them, either because of its truth, its beauty, its ‘hitting home,’ and share that with one other person every week.” That could be done with a friend or in a small group, he said.
In recent decades, Cavins has observed a rise in popularity for apologetics and Scripture study, and he thinks the church may be ripe for the catechism to have its own moment. Diocesan and parish faith formation leaders can leverage that, but the key, he said, is approaching the catechism as “an activated disciple who’s on mission with Christ” and who needs a guide, rooted in Scripture, to how to live as a Christian.
“I think we’re going to see an era where people are going to understand their faith better than they ever have in any other generation in American history,” Cavins said. “They’re going to understand their faith and … the proof will be in the pudding when people start sharing Christ with others.”
(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)
Briefs
NATION
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow retail pharmacies to offer abortion pills in the United States for the first time, the agency announced Jan. 3, prompting criticism from Catholic and pro-life groups. The Biden administration’s rule change comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that struck down its previous ruling in Roe v. Wade, prompting many states to either attempt to restrict or expand access to abortion. The regulatory change will permit the retail sale of mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in a medication or chemical abortion. The drug could previously only be dispensed only by some mail-order pharmacies, doctors, or clinics. The new FDA rules will still require a prescription, but will permit a wider range of pharmacies to sell the drugs. Dr. Marie Hilliard, co-chair of the Catholic Medical Association’s ethics committee, and Dr. Lester Ruppersberger, former CMA president, told OSV News in a statement the new rule will “put the health of women, and their true informed consent, at risk.”
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – After a report dubbed 2022 “the year of the botched execution,” Catholic activists renewed their calls for an end to the practice. Despite declining public support for the practice, and a campaign promise from President Joe Biden, a Catholic Democrat, to repeal the federal death penalty, a bill to do so gained little traction last Congress, when Democrats still controlled both chambers. The Catholic church opposes the death penalty as morally “inadmissible” in the modern era – a teaching Pope Francis changed the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 and expounded on the change in the 2020 encyclical “Fratelli tutti.” The Catholic church is committed to death penalty abolition worldwide.
EL PASO, Texas (OSV News) – In this first trip to the border since he took office, Biden, who is Catholic, sought to “assess border enforcement operations” and talk to those helping to manage “the historic number of migrants fleeing political oppression and gang violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Cuba,” according to the White House. Biden’s visit – which lasted a few hours – came amid criticism over how he is handling the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. During his nearly four-hour visit to El Paso, Biden did not meet with migrants or deliver public remarks. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso shared his concerns, as did other migrant advocates, with the president and his aides. At a news briefing, Sister Norma Pimentel of the Missionaries of Jesus, who heads Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, said the president’s presence at the border was significant. The sister stressed the need to come together as a community – including the city government, Border Patrol and faith-based communities – to safeguard people’s dignity while creating policies to face the issue of migration. After the short visit, Biden traveled to Mexico City, where he and the presidents of Mexico and Canada gathered for a Jan. 9-10 North American leaders’ summit.
VATICAN
ROME (OSV News) – In what looks like a continuation of pontifical legacy, Pope Benedict XVI was buried in the crypt where his Polish predecessor, St. John Paul II, was first buried. St. John XXIII also was buried there prior to his beatification. The place of burial is unique for many that knew the fond relationship of St. John Paul and Cardinal Ratzinger. The two popes had a unique intellectual friendship throughout John Paul’s papacy. And even if their characters seemed a world away, Cardinal Ratzinger was similar to St. John Paul II in many aspects as pontiff. The Holy See Press Office predicted the crypt where Pope Benedict was laid to rest will be ready for the faithful to visit after Jan. 8.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The disappearance 40 years ago of Emanuela Orlandi has haunted her family, fueled conspiracy theories and provided grist for a recent Netflix series. Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said Jan. 9 that Alessandro Diddi, Vatican City’s chief prosecutor, was opening a new file on the case, although he provided no details about the direction the investigation was expected to take. The Italian news agency ANSA said Diddi’s decision was in response to requests by Pietro Orlandi, Emanuela’s brother. Vatican investigators will begin by “analyzing the acts and documents related to prior investigations,” of which there have been many, ANSA said. Pietro Orlandi told the television RaiNews24 that he had received copies of WhatsApp messages exchanged in 2014 by “two persons very close to Pope Francis that talk about documents” related to the case that never have been published. He said he was certain someone in the Vatican knew more about what happened to his sister. Pietro and Emanuela are the children of a Vatican employee and grew up in an apartment inside the Vatican. Emanuela disappeared in Rome June 22, 1983, when she was 15.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The way individual Catholics and their parishes care for the sick offers a precise measure of just how much they either are part of or are fighting the “throwaway culture” that ignores or discards anyone seen as flawed or weak, Pope Francis said in his message for the World Day of the Sick. The care of those who are ill shows “whether we are truly companions on the journey or merely individuals on the same path, looking after our own interests and leaving others to ‘make do,’” the pope said in the message, which was released by the Vatican Jan. 10. The Catholic Church celebrates the world day Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. “Experiences of bewilderment, sickness and weakness are part of the human journey,” the 86-year-old pope wrote. But, he said, the Bible makes clear that “far from excluding us from God’s people,” those situations of vulnerability “bring us to the center of the Lord’s attention, for he is our Father and does not want to lose even one of his children along the way.” Those who profess belief in God, he said, should do likewise, placing the sick at the center of their attention.
WORLD
SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – The National Conference of Brazilian Bishops is said to be “perplexed by the serious and violent occurrences” that erupted Jan. 8 in Brasilia, the nation’s capital. Thousands of protesters invaded the country’s Congress, Supreme Court building and the presidential palace, enraged about newly sworn-in president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The protesters are supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was defeated by Lula, as the new president is popularly known. They demand the removal of the new president, stating that the October elections were illegitimate and are asking Brazil’s military to take over. Bishops’ conference officials called for the immediate cessation of “criminal attacks on the democratic rule of law.” “These attacks must be immediately contained and their organizers and participants held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Citizens and democracy must be protected,” said the message in the conference’s social media accounts. Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer of São Paulo also condemned the events stating that what happened in Brasília “was unacceptable.”
WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Catholic immigration advocates are hailing the extension of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, to war-torn Yemen, where more than 23 million face what the United Nations has called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” The decision, announced Jan. 3 and set to begin March 4, will safeguard protections for TPS program participants through Sept. 3, 2024. With Yemen deemed by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the extension “will provide real relief for many,” said Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., or CLINIC. “This decision duly recognizes the needs of Yemenis in the U.S. who cannot return home.”
TIONKUY, Burkino Faso (OSV News) – Father Jacques Yaro Zerbo, 67, Malian-born Catholic priest, was laid to rest Jan. 5 at the Cemetery of Pastoral Agents in Tionkuy, 150 miles west of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The priest was killed Jan. 2 by unidentified armed men in what his bishop, Bishop Prosper Bonaventure Ky, who heads the Diocese of Dédougou, called “cold-blood murder.” Father Zerbo was on his way to Tona to accomplish a mission for his bishop when he was intercepted by unidentified armed men in the village of Soro in Gassan township found in the northwestern region of Boucle du Mouhon – one of Burkina Faso’s 13 administrative regions and a flashpoint of jihadist extremism. After killing the priest, the killers escaped with his car, leaving his lifeless body by the roadside. Bishop Ky expressed “profound sorrow” at the killing of the priest and hoped he would find peace in the Lord. The killing added to a long list of persecution of Christians and other civilians and underscored the continued spread of terrorism in Burkina Faso and across the Sahel region.
Jackson Carmelite Seculars receive scapulars, make promises
Founded by St. Teresa of Avila, the local Carmelite Secular community meets monthly on fourth Saturdays at the St. Jude Family Life Center. They are a contemplative, yet active order with a vocation of prayer. They learn to listen and commune in the silence with God, and about the many saints of Carmel. They imitate Mary in that she “kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) If you would like further information, please contact Dorothy Ashley at (601) 259-0885 or carmelite57@yahoo.com.
Featured photo…Ole miss CCM represented at focus – seek23
Annual Report
Calendar of events
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
BILOXI Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church, The Role of Beauty in the Spiritual Life: understanding and praying with the church’s Sacred Music, Jan. 26, 2023 at 7 p.m. Event is a talk by Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. Details: visit olgchurch.net.
GREENWOOD Locus Benedictus, School of the Holy Spirit, Feb. 16-19. Cost $100 per person, no charge for age 18 and under. Featured speakers: Father Tom Dilorenzo, Maria Vadia and Pastor Myles Milham, with worship team of Mike McDuffee and Arianna Alberti. To register or more details visit: https://tinyurl.com/SHS-2023-locus-benedictus. Details: Magdalene (662) 299-1232 or locus-benedictus@gmail.com
NATION Bible in a Year Online Retreat, Feb. 10-13, led by Father Mike Schmitz. Details: for info and to register visit ascensionpress.com/pages/2023biyretreat.
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS
BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, Knights of Columbus St. Joseph Icon Mass, Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 6:30 p.m. All are invited. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.
CANTON Sacred Heart, Chair Stretch and Contemplative Prayer, Mondays and Thursdays at 10-11 a.m. in the Parish Center. Details: contact Teresa at (769) 233-1989.
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, CYO Indoor Yard Sale, Saturday, Jan. 21. You can drop off items at the parish center. Details: church office (662) 846-6273.
Our Lady of Victories, 2nd annual Supper and Substance for married couples, Saturday, Feb. 11 in the parish center, following 5:30 p.m. Cost $50 per couple. Forms due Feb. 1. Details: church office (662) 846-6273.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, “Mamas” group, starting Sunday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Ashbrooke Clubhouse. Are you struggling with “a season” of life and looking for encouragement from other moms? This is the group for you. Details: call or text Amy at (228) 669-5923.
JACKSON St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal, Friday, Feb. 10 at The South Warehouse in Jackson. Theme is “Rio de Janiero.” Enjoy food and drinks, plus music by the Epic Funk Brass Band. Silent auction and raffles. Tickets $200 per couple. Details: Tammy at tconrad@strichardschool.org.
MADISON St. Joseph School, Jeans, Jazz and Bruin Blues Draw Down, Saturday, Jan. 28 from 6-9 p.m. at The Country Club of Jackson. Tickets are $130 per couple. Enjoy a wide selection of food, open bar, auctions and a chance to win $10,000. Only 500 draw down tickets will be sold. Details: www.stjoedrawdown.com.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Rekindling Eucharistic Amazement” Catholics as Intentional Missionary Disciples of Jesus, Jan. 30 through Feb. 1. Featured speaker is Father James Wehner of the Diocese of Pittsburg. Events begin at 6 p.m. each day of the program. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
PEARL St. Jude, Feed My Sheep Ministry will be serving lunch and passing out “Blessing Bags” at Poindezter Park in Jackson on Sunday, Jan. 29. Donations accepted to help with cost of meal. Volunteers are needed to assemble blessing bags, prepare the meal and transport and serve the meal. Details: contact Beth at bethpaczak@gmail.com to volunteer.
SOUTHAVEN, Cocktails and Catholicism, Second Friday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m., for adults only. Meeting space at Sacred Heart School will be determined by RSVPs. On Feb. 10, Father Ben Bradshaw of St. Michael’s in Memphis and creator of Soul Food Priest will discuss faith and food in his talk “Can we eat alligator on Fridays and other important things to prepare for Lent. Details: Deacon Ted at Christ the King at (662) 342-1073.
YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Birthday Party and Bingo, Sunday, Jan. 22 after Mass in the parish hall. Bingo cards $5. Each family is asked to bring a wrapped item from home. Details: church office (662) 746-1680
SAVE THE DATE
DIOCESE Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 29 – Feb. 4. The theme is Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service. Be on the lookout for special activities at Catholic schools across the diocese on this very special week.
DIOCESE World Marriage Day at St. Peter Cathedral in Jackson on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. This is a celebration of the sacrament of matrimony for couples celebrating their 25th, 50th or 60th wedding anniversaries. For couples who were not able to celebrate other special anniversaries due to COVID, please join us this year. Details: couples may register to attend with their parish or at www.jacksondiocese.org/family-ministry.
JACKSON 17th Annual Sr. Thea Bowman School Draw Down, Saturday, April 29th at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose building. Details: school office (601) 352-5441.
MADISON – St. Francis of Assisi Mexican Fiesta presented by youth group, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 5:15-7 p.m. All proceeds will benefit our diocesan mission in Saltillo, Mexico. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
Mundo en Fotos
Tribunal dictamina que obispo nicaragüense acusado de conspiración irá a juicio
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (OSV News) – Un tribunal dictaminó en una audiencia del 10 de enero que un obispo nicaragüense, detenido desde agosto, será juzgado por los cargos de difusión de información falsa y conspiración.
El Obispo Rolando Álvarez de Matagalpa, quien ha sido acusado de “conspiración para cometer menoscabo a la integridad nacional” y “propagación de noticias falsas”, apareció vestido con una camisa blanca y luciendo demacrado, según una foto compartida por el tribunal de Managua, la capital del país. Una nota de prensa difundida por la oficina de prensa del complejo judicial central de Managua señaló que ese día “se llevó a cabo la audiencia inicial del proceso penal donde compareció Rolando José Álvarez Lagos en su calidad de acusado”.
El Obispo Álvarez ha criticado abiertamente al gobierno de Nicaragua y fue puesto forzosamente bajo arresto domiciliario en agosto, un acto ampliamente criticado por los defensores de los derechos humanos en todo el mundo.
“Los procesos estos ya ni siquiera gozan de legalidad e incluso a veces hasta te ponen en modo defensor”, dijo a OSV News Yader Morazán, un nicaragüense exiliado.
Al Obispo Álvarez no se le permitió elegir su propio abogado. El defensor público, dijo Morazán, tiene un historial de mala representación de sacerdotes y vínculos con el régimen. La jueza del caso, Gloria Saavedra, fue designada en 2019, pero “no ha hecho carrera judicial como lo establece las leyes en nuestro país”.
“Ha sido procesado por una audiencia clandestina sin siquiera poder ser acompañado por sus familiares, con un abogado impuesto y bajo una juez nombrada específicamente para ese tipo de roles”, agregó Morazán.
El obispo fue acusado el 13 de diciembre, casi cuatro meses después de haber sido detenido sin el debido proceso. Se le asignó un defensor público, se le indicó la fecha de su juicio y se le ordenó permanecer bajo arresto domiciliario.
La audiencia preliminar fue apenas su segunda comparecencia fuera del arresto domiciliario, en el que permanece incomunicado desde su arresto en agosto.
“La autoridad judicial revisó las medidas cautelares decretadas en la audiencia preliminar manteniendo el arresto domiciliario, asimismo, admitió el intercambio de información de pruebas y remitió la causa a juicio”, señaló un escueto comunicado del juzgado de Managua.
En una declaración del 16 de diciembre, el obispo David J. Malloy de Rockford, Illinois, presidente del Comité de Justicia y Paz Internacional de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE.UU., condenó los cargos y hizo un llamado al gobierno de los Estados Unidos y a la comunidad internacional para que “busquen la liberación inmediata del Obispo Álvarez, la restauración de la libertad religiosa y las garantías de los derechos humanos, e inicien un proceso de restauración del orden democrático y el estado de derecho en Nicaragua”.
Según informó Catholic News Service, el Obispo Álvarez fue asediado a principios de agosto cuando le impidieron salir de un edificio perteneciente a la Diócesis de Matagalpa.
Los soldados rodearon el edificio durante días y, posteriormente, algunos laicos y sacerdotes que estaban dentro del edificio con él fueron detenidos y enviados a prisión.
El Obispo Álvarez fue sustraído alrededor de las 3 a.m. el 19 de agosto por agentes policiales. Fue acusado de conspiración en diciembre.
La última crisis sociopolítica y económica de Nicaragua comenzó en 2018. Según un artículo de OSV News, en los cuatro años siguientes, la Iglesia sufrió 190 atentados, que van desde una bomba molotov en la catedral de Managua hasta disparos contra carros de obispos.
El gobierno del presidente Daniel Ortega también ha arrestado a otros sacerdotes, seminaristas y laicos. Su represión contra la Iglesia también incluyó “profanaciones de imágenes sagradas e incluso profanaciones del Santísimo Sacramento”, dijo el Obispo Malloy, presidente del comité de política internacional de los obispos de EE.UU.
“Desde la sangrienta represión de manifestantes pacíficos en 2018… el régimen y sus aliados han estado implementando una política de agresión e intimidación física, retórica e institucional severa y sistemática contra la Iglesia Católica en Nicaragua”, dijo en el comunicado de diciembre. En 2022, el gobierno de Nicaragua cerró ONG católicas, incluida la organización caritativa dirigida por las Misioneras de la Caridad. También expulsó al nuncio apostólico, el arzobispo Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag. Además, el gobierno cerró 10 estaciones de radio católicas y tres canales de televisión católicos.
La Iglesia se ha pronunciado en apoyo a los más de 200 presos políticos retenidos por el régimen en condiciones deplorables y ha brindado apoyo espiritual a sus familias.
La persecución contra la Iglesia ha continuado hasta 2023 con la policía prohibiendo las procesiones el día de Año Nuevo. Un sacerdote exiliado dijo a OSV News que sabía de al menos 10 sacerdotes encarcelados, junto con el obispo Álvarez y dos seminaristas.
David Agren, quien escribe para OSV News desde México, y Maria-Pia Negro Chin, editora de español de OSV News, contribuyeron a este artículo.