Nicaragua suspends diplomatic relations with Vatican

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Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Sunday ordered the closures of the Vatican Embassy in the capital city of Managua and the Nicaraguan Embassy to the Vatican in Rome. The Nicaraguan government proposed a suspension of relations with the Holy See after Pope Francis compared the regime to a dictatorship in an interview last week.

What contributed to the breakdown in ties? The relationship between Nicaragua and the Vatican has deteriorated since 2018 when Nicaraguan officials began to crack down on anti-government protests. Some Catholic leaders sheltered demonstrators and tried to mediate between the government and the opposition. Ortega’s government labeled Catholic figures as terrorists for being sympathetic to the opposition, and expelled or arrested dozens of religious figures.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, listen to Mindy Belz’s report about political unrest in Nicaragua.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.