(ANS – Masaya, Nicaragua – July 24) – On July 15, in what appears to have been a planned attack by
paramilitaries, the car in which Salesian Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara was
hit by a barrage of bullets fired by an armed group on the road between Managua,
the capital of Nicaragua, to Masaya, where several Salesian works are located.
The bishop and his driver miraculously escaped unharmed; the car’s windows and
two tires were destroyed by a dozen bullets.
“In all likelihood, that was a failed attack,” says
Fr. Francisco Rodriguez “Paco” de Coro, SDB.
It seems quite evident that the Church of Nicaragua is in the crosshairs of the
violent repression which the Sandinista government of President Daniel Ortega
has implemented against anyone who opposes the regime. Bishops, priests, and
friars had attempted to act as mediators. Now, because they are working to help
the victims and refugees during these tough times, they have been moved to the
top of the “black list” of Ortega’s opponents by the so-called “Turbas,” the
pro-government groups of paramilitaries, fomented also by different organs of
communication that have defined the religious as “traitors.”
This recent attack targeted Bishop Juan Abelardo
Mata Guevara, SDB, 72 years old, who has been bishop of Estelí since 1990. He
is a former president of Nicaragua’s Bishops Conference and a member of the episcopal
commission charged with mediating dialog between the government and civil
society. His is one of the most critical voices against President Ortega’s
government.
Roberto Petray, the bishop’s assistant, said the
bishop “was intercepted by paramilitaries, who fired bullets at the car, breaking
glass and trying to set fire to it.” Escaping unharmed, the bishop took refuge
in a house, where National Police agents showed up and escorted him safely to
Managua.
Source: Vatican Insider and Paco de Coro, SDB
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