Open Doors: Nicaraguan Christians ‘increasingly silenced’ by dictatorship

Jan 22, 2026 / 11:30 am

Open Doors, an international organization dedicated to supporting Christians who suffer discrimination and persecution around the world, noted in its 2026 report that Christians in Nicaragua “are being increasingly silenced” under the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his wife and co-president, Rosario Murillo.

Earlier this month, Open Doors published its report titled “ World Watch List 2026,” which lists the 50 countries in the world where Christians suffer the most persecution because of their faith. Nicaragua is ranked 32nd.

“Believers who raise their voices against the government over issues including human rights violations have faced surveillance, intimidation, and imprisonment. Some even face exile and loss of citizenship,” the report states.

Meanwhile, “churches and other Christian institutions (e.g. schools and charities) are deemed a threat to the regime. They have had assets seized, activities disrupted and banned, and buildings vandalized. Rather than be seen as a valuable part of the country’s fabric, many Christians are viewed as ‘destabilizing agents,’” the text continues.

Open Doors also points out: “This growing suffocation of Christian freedoms goes back to 2018, when nationwide protests broke out against the government. This worsened following elections in 2021 and constitutional reform in 2025. Both have been used to make legal changes to further justify the crackdown on dissenting voices — and that includes further silencing the church.”

As the largest Christian community in Nicaragua, “ Catholics are a primary target for the regime. Clergy face imprisonment, exile, house arrest, travel bans, and legal threats,” the report states.

In fact, as Martha Patricia Molina, author of the report “ Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, earlier this month, between 2018 and the end of 2025 a total of 43 properties had been confiscated from the Church, and the dictatorship has carried out 1,030 attacks against Catholics in addition to having banned 18,808 processions.

The newspaper Confidencial published at the end of 2025 a detailed report explaining how, between 2022 and 2025, the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship confiscated 39 properties belonging to the Catholic Church, properties that are now being used for purposes other than those for which they were originally intended.

Molina also said that according to the running count there are “304 priests and nuns who no longer exercise their pastoral ministry in Nicaragua, 172 men and 132 women.”

Four bishops have been exiled from the country: Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, who celebrates Mass on Sundays at St. Agnes Parish in Miami; Bishop Isidoro Mora, bishop of Siuna; Rolando Álvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí; and Carlos Enrique Herrera, bishop of Jinotega and president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference. The other five Nicaraguan bishops still remain in the country.

Open Doors reports that “anyone who speaks out against the government is especially vulnerable, and that includes Christians from other denominations (e.g. Pentecostals and Baptists). Some also face pressure to show political loyalty to avoid further repercussions.”

“Those who preach the Gospel without censorship — proclaiming Jesus’ love and the freedom the Holy Spirit brings — are exactly the ones they want to silence,” says Pastora, a Christian quoted by Open Doors in its report.

“The situation in Nicaragua has changed very little. Even though the country fell two places from last year’s World Watch List, persecution remains difficult,” the report notes.

“Believers — especially pastors and church leaders — now face more suffocating surveillance, threats to restrict or shut down church activities, and constant interference in their ministries,” Open Doors explains.

In March 2025, the Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI reported that the dictatorship is monitoring priests, checking their cellphones, and demanding weekly reports on their activities, in addition to restricting their freedom of movement.

“For the priests who remain in Nicaragua, homilies must be entirely theological. They cannot speak about issues related to the social doctrine of the Church or offer social criticism,” the newspaper stated.

Open Doors also notes that “persecution is present throughout the country” but is more intense in “Bluefields, Chinandega, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, Jinotepe, León, Masaya, Managua, Matagalpa, the South Atlantic Autonomous Region, and Rivas.”

Open Doors explains that in view of this situation, the organization aims to “strengthen the church in Nicaragua amid persecution, through livelihood support, legal assistance, persecution-survival training, and leadership care.”

The organization also offers a prayer for persecuted Christians in Nicaragua:

Heavenly Father, give our sisters and brothers wisdom, courage, and protection as they follow you in an increasingly hostile environment. Encourage those who’ve suffered loss and pain for their faith, provide for them, and heal their wounds. Soften the hearts of the regime and touch the hearts of the authorities as they monitor Christians. In these difficult times, strengthen your church in Nicaragua and shine brightly through them. Amen.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.