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MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Nicaraguan government said Sunday it has released Bishop Rolando Álvarez and 18 clergy members from jail and handed them over to Vatican authorities.
The government said in a press statement the release was part of negotiations with the Vatican. In the past, imprisoned priests have been quickly flown to Rome.
Bishop Álvarez has remained in prison for more than a year and received a 26-year sentence after refusing to get on the February flight to the United States.
Since repressing popular protests in 2018 that called for his resignation, President Daniel Ortega’s government has systematically silenced opposing voices and zeroed in on the church.
In November, Nicaragua released a dozen Catholic priests jailed on a variety of charges and sent them to Rome following an agreement with the Vatican.