Home » Special Reports » Nicaragua: ACN condemns terrorist attack on cathedral

Nicaragua: ACN condemns terrorist attack on cathedral

ACN president expresses solidarity with Catholics in the country following the arson attack on the church

The international Catholic pastoral charity and pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN International) has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist-style arson attack against the Catholic cathedral in Managua, the Nicaraguan capital. “We wish to express our closeness to the Catholics of the country at this difficult time and assure them of the support of our prayers”, said the executive president of the charity, Mr Thomas Heine-Geldern, on Saturday. “This is the most recent incident in a string of anti-Christian attacks, not only against buildings, but against the Catholic faith as well. We hope that the person or persons responsible for this attack will quickly be brought to justice.”

According to a statement by the archdiocese of Managua, on Friday 31 July a man entered the Chapel of the Precious Blood, in the Managua cathedral, and threw a firebomb, partially destroying a precious 17th century wooden image of the Blood of Christ before which Pope John Paul II had prayed during his visit to the country in 1996. The statement issued on Friday by the archdiocese expressly identified the attack as an act of terrorism, contradicting an earlier remark by the wife of President Ortega, who is also Vice-president, claiming that it had been an accident caused by burning candles. This was categorically denied by the archdiocese, which stated that precisely for fire safety reasons and on account of the great historical and religious significance of the crucifix no candles are permitted close to the image. Instead, witnesses had testified to the fact that this was a carefully planned and executed attack and that the attacker clearly knew exactly what he was doing with the firebomb.

“These attacks against the faith of the Catholic people need to be carefully analysed, in order to expose the ideological and physical perpetrators of this macabre and sacrilegious act”, the statement by the archdiocese continued.

The arson attack is merely the latest in a string of attacks against Catholic churches in Nicaragua. In the last two weeks alone there have been three such attacks on Catholic churches, with deliberate destruction and theft of sacred objects. The archdiocese described it as nothing less than an expression of hatred towards the Catholic Church and her mission of evangelization.

 

Don't miss the latest updates!

Gaza: First step towards peace after 733 days of war

While indirect talks are taking place in Egypt between Israeli…

Rome to host official launch of Religious Freedom Report 2025

Religious and public leaders will be gathering on October 21…

Papal envoy carries solidarity to the Christians of war-torn Sudan

Archbishop Séamus Patrick Horgan, Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, has…

In the east of Burkina Faso, still many problems as term starts

While the security situation in Burkina Faso has improved slightly,…

From Angola to Vietnam, enthusiasm with “One million children praying the Rosary” campaign

ACN’s yearly campaign, added to the Holy Father’s appeal to…

Church clings to life amid chaos in Gaza

Aid to the Church in Need echoes Pope Leo XIV’s…

List of News

Gaza: First step towards peace after 733 days of war

While indirect talks are taking place in Egypt between Israeli envoys and Hamas, the hope for a beginning of peace is cautiously laying roots in the diocese of the Holy...

Fr Hugo Alaniz recounts a night of explosions and fear in Aleppo: “People are very afraid, we don’t know what is going to happen”

In the midst of a new wave of fighting, the Argentine priest describes hours of anguish in Aleppo. His parish has once again become a refuge for dozens of families....

Rome to host official launch of Religious Freedom Report 2025

Religious and public leaders will be gathering on October 21 at the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome for the worldwide presentation of the latest edition of the Report on...