Originally published at National Catholic Register
The Latin American bishops expressed their solidarity with Bishop Herrera and said they pray “that this situation will be resolved soon and that he can return to his homeland.”
The dictatorship of Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega has expelled Bishop Carlos Enrique Herrera Gutiérrez of Jinotega, president of the country’s bishops’ conference. The prelate recently criticized a pro-Ortega mayor who interfered with a Mass by blasting loud music in front of the local cathedral.
The Latin American Bishops’ Council (CELAM, by its Spanish acronym), expressed its closeness following the expulsion of Herrera in a letter published on its website and addressed to Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, archbishop of Managua and vice president of the Nicaraguan Bishops’ Conference.
The Latin American bishops expressed their solidarity with Bishop Herrera and said they pray “that this situation will be resolved soon and that he can return to his homeland.”
They also expressed their pain over “the events that afflict the pilgrim Church in Nicaragua” and encouraged the bishops and the faithful of the country to continue being “a testimony of fidelity to the Lord that shines forth on the entire continent.”
Exiled to Guatemala
According to the Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI, Bishop Herrera was
