The bishops of the Episcopal Secretariat of Central America (SEDAC) have requested that the Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo allow access for the trusted physician of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata, Bishop Emeritus of Estelí, amid uncertainty about his health and whereabouts. The prelate, aged 80, has remained missing since the end of June, despite authorities claiming he is at his residence.
In a statement dated July 10, the bishops express their “concern for the health of Bishop Juan Abelardo” and “respectfully ask the Government of the Republic for permission for his physician and the staff who assist him daily to visit him, given his delicate health condition.” Mata is diabetic, has a pacemaker, and suffers from vision problems.
Doubts persist about his whereabouts
Nicaragua’s Ministry of the Interior reported on July 4 that the Salesian bishop was detained by police on June 29 and released the same day. According to the official account, he was arrested again on June 30 and later transferred to his residence.
However, various Church sources maintain that no one has been able to confirm the bishop remains there. According to information provided to ACI Prensa, Mata’s home, located in Tisma, in the department of Masaya, continues to be surrounded by police agents, but “no one has seen the bishop nor is it known where he is.”
One of the firmest voices against the dictatorship
Juan Abelardo Mata was born on June 23, 1946, professed as a Salesian in 1966, and was ordained a priest in 1976. Saint John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Managua in 1988 and, two years later, bishop of Estelí, a diocese he led for more than three decades until his retirement in 2021.
For years he was one of the most critical episcopal voices against the Ortega and Murillo regime. Former Nicaraguan ambassador to the OEA, Arturo McFields, recently warned that “if what is happening is not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to induce the death of Bishop Mata,” attributing that possibility to the “resentment” that, according to him, the authorities hold toward the prelate for his firmness and clarity.
The message of hope from Bishop Báez
While uncertainty continues about the fate of Bishop Mata, the auxiliary bishop of Managua in exile, Bishop Silvio Báez, encouraged Nicaraguans this Sunday not to lose hope.
During the homily delivered on July 12 at Santa Agatha parish in Miami, he stated that although the history of peoples may seem “sterile and harsh” and many experience repression or fear, “not everything is stones and thorns.” “The thirst for justice has not been extinguished and the flame of freedom continues to burn,” he affirmed.
The prelate concluded by stating that “Jesus continues to sow the seed of life, truth, and freedom in our history. This is the seed of the future.”