Bureau Of Western Hemisphere

The United States has called for the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara after the 80-year-old Nicaraguan prelate was detained by the country’s authorities. The US State Department condemned the detention as arbitrary and accused the Murillo-Ortega government of continuing its persecution of religious leaders The United States has called for the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara after the 80-year-old Nicaraguan prelate was detained by the country’s authorities. The US State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs condemned the bishop’s detention, describing it as arbitrary and urging the Nicaraguan authorities to free him without delay. In a statement, the bureau said: “We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Nicaraguan Bishop Abelardo Mata who has been arbitrarily detained by the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship.” It added that “80-year-old Bishop Mata poses no threat to the regime and his health is fragile”, before further condemning what it described as the government’s “continued cruel religious persecution and repression”. The statement concluded: “The attacks on religious freedom must stop.” Bishop Mata, the retired Bishop of Estelí, was detained on 29 June after reportedly celebrating Mass at La Cruz del Calvario Church, where he criticised the treatment of Christian leaders who have been imprisoned, exiled or subjected to house arrest in Nicaragua. According to the United Kingdom-based religious freedom organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the bishop was taken into custody by the National Police during the afternoon and transferred to a maximum-security prison in Managua, approximately 130 miles from Estelí. He was released later that evening but detained again the following morning before being freed at around 4pm. Although no formal charges have been reported, CSW said a police presence has remained outside Bishop Mata’s residence since his release. Sources cited by the organisation believe remarks made during the bishop’s homily may have been reported to the authorities by individuals attending the Mass who were aligned with the government. The detentions extended beyond the bishop himself. Three other Catholic leaders were also reportedly held by police on 30 June for around 12 hours. They included Deacon Wilfred Aráuz Rodríguez, Father Francisco Morales of La Cruz del Calvario Church, and Father Rigoberto Delgadillo Sánchez of Santuario Divino Niño Parish. CSW reported that Deacon Aráuz Rodríguez was arrested by the local police chief while accompanied by masked men, underscoring concerns among religious freedom advocates about the increasingly intimidating methods allegedly employed against members of the Church. The arrests prompted condemnation from Bishop Silvio José Báez, the exiled auxiliary bishop of Managua, who denounced the treatment of his fellow bishop in a message posted on X. “I deeply condemn the aggression committed by the regime’s police against my brother Mons. Juan Abelardo Mata, emeritus bishop of Estelí,” Bishop Báez wrote. He added: “These cowardly actions only demonstrate the weakness and irrationality of a criminal dictatorship.” The detention of Bishop Mata comes amid what Christian Solidarity Worldwide says is an escalating campaign against Christian communities in Nicaragua. The organisation reported that it documented 12 cases of arbitrary detention involving Protestant and Catholic leaders during June alone. Earlier this year, CSW also published figures recording 309 separate violations of religious freedom against Christians during 2025, suggesting that restrictions affecting churches have continued despite repeated international criticism. A member of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Bishop Mata was born in Managua in June 1946 and entered the congregation after completing studies in El Salvador. Following theological formation in Guatemala, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1976 before undertaking biblical studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. In 1988, he was appointed Bishop of Estelí, a post he held for more than three decades before retiring in 2021 after reaching the customary retirement age established by canon law. His prominence increased significantly during Nicaragua’s political crisis in 2018, when he served as a mediator during the nationwide protests that erupted against President Daniel Ortega’s government. As secretary general of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference, he publicly supported dialogue and repeatedly appealed for peace while also defending the rights of those protesting. The Sandinista government accused Church leaders, including Bishop Mata, of assisting opposition groups and participating in what it described as an attempted coup. Relations between the government and much of the Catholic hierarchy deteriorated sharply during that period. That same year, the vehicle carrying Bishop Mata came under gunfire from paramilitary forces, highlighting the risks faced by clergy who had become vocal critics of the authorities during the unrest. Since then, numerous bishops, priests and religious communities have faced increasing pressure, with reports of arrests, exile, surveillance and restrictions on pastoral activity becoming recurring features of the country’s religious landscape.