Forced silence: the silent repression against Christians in Nicaragua and its echo in Latin America

In recent years, the repression against Christian communities in Nicaragua has taken on a subtle yet profound dimension, revealing broader dynamics of persecution across Latin America. According to a joint report, the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has intervened to silence the Catholic Church, exerting control over bishops, priests, and the faithful, restricting freedom of worship, and trampling on ecclesial autonomy.

More than 150 clergy and nuns have been forced into exile, while others remain under constant surveillance or are subject to arbitrary detention. Acts of harassment include the freezing of bank accounts, the imposition of requirements for holding Masses, and the prohibition of traditional religious processions.

But this phenomenon is not limited to Nicaragua. The NGO Open Doors includes several Latin American countries among the 50 most dangerous for Christians, noting that factors such as organized crime (in Mexico), state authoritarianism (in Cuba and Nicaragua), and pressure on Christian leaders to avoid questioning power—political or economic—are behind this new phase of persecution.

More subtly, the persecution also takes the form of discrimination and ideological harassment: churches losing their legal status, worshippers avoiding public demonstrations for fear of reprisals, and Christian communities becoming “collateral damage” when they denounce violence or corruption.

The region’s unique characteristic lies in the fact that these are predominantly Christian countries, where hostility toward believers comes not only from the state, as in other contexts, but also from organized crime, informal structures, and the very network of impunity that stifles religious freedom. This situation demands that attention not only be focused on the headlines, but also on the silenced minorities within an environment that, at first glance, appears “normal.”

Ultimately, the persecution of Christians in Latin America is evolving toward more covert—and therefore more difficult to detect—forms that require vigilance, international solidarity, and an analysis that goes beyond the traditional hotspots of conflict.