In the face of mounting government pressure, two more religious orders have been forced to leave Nicaragua, underscoring the deepening crisis for the Catholic Church in the country. The Pillar reports that around 30 Poor Clare nuns and the Discalced Carmelite friars have recently joined the growing number of clergy and religious exiled from the nation under President Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian regime.
The Poor Clare nuns, known for their contemplative life dedicated to Eucharistic adoration, were abruptly expelled from their convents in Managua and Chinandega on January 29. Local media reports reveal that the sisters were given little notice and allowed to take only a few personal belongings.
This follows the Nicaraguan government’s 2023 cancellation of their legal status — a move labeled as “voluntary” but widely understood as coerced. For nearly two years, they managed to remain in the country under precarious conditions, supporting themselves by making communion hosts and liturgical vestments.
Just days before the Poor Clares’ forced departure, the Central American province of the Discalced Carmelites announced on January 23 that it was withdrawing all friars from Nicaragua after 50 years of ministry. Official statements cited a “lack of vocations” as the reason for their exit, yet local sources suggest that state harassment played a significant role. A source close to the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference noted, “It’s a mix of both things. Vocational shortages are real, but the climate of persecution makes it impossible for religious communities to thrive.”
Silencing dissent
Since 2018, when widespread protests against Ortega’s regime erupted, the government has intensified its crackdown on the Catholic Church, viewing it as a source of dissent. The regime has expelled various religious congregations, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and the Trappist nuns. More than 250 clergy and religious have been forced into exile, including four bishops and nearly one-fifth of Nicaragua’s priests.
The legal pretext for much of this repression lies in a 2022 law granting the government broad authority to shut down non-profits and foreign NGOs. Under this law, the regime has dissolved Catholic universities, charities, and the legal entities supporting many religious orders. Even those who remain, like a few Jesuits still in the country, do so without formal legal recognition, making them vulnerable to further expulsion.
Church leaders who speak out face severe consequences. Bishop Carlos Herrera, president of the Nicaraguan bishops’ conference, was forced into exile in November 2024 after criticizing a pro-government mayor during Mass. Despite the repression, the Church’s voice remains resilient. In a pastoral letter to Nicaraguans, Pope Francis encouraged perseverance amid suffering, writing, “Precisely in the most difficult moments, when it becomes humanly impossible to understand what God wants from us, we are called not to doubt His care and mercy.”
For Nicaragua’s Catholic faithful, these forced exiles are not just about the loss of religious leaders but the erosion of spiritual and community life. The absence of these religious communities leaves a void in the lives of countless Nicaraguans who rely on their pastoral care, education, and charitable outreach.
