VOA新闻杂志2022--尼加拉瓜政府与天主教会关系紧张

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Tension Grows Between Government, Catholic Church in Nicaragua

A conflict is worsening between Nicaragua's government and the country's Roman Catholic Church.

The government recently closed seven of the Church's radio stations. It also began investigating Church official Rolando álvarez who has criticized Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

Ortega accuses the man of stirring up violence "to carry out acts of hate against the population."

This is not the first time Ortega has acted against critics of his administration. Throughout 2021, officials arrested seven candidates seeking presidential office in that year's November elections.

The conflict between the government and local Roman Catholic Church leaders is in its fifth year. Here is a look at the history of the situation and those involved.

Who is Daniel Ortega?

President Daniel Ortega is 76 years old and a former militant¹ with the Sandinista National Liberation Front. He helped overthrow² the country's dictator, Anastasio Somoza, in 1979.

Ortega first served as president from 1985 until 1990 when he was voted out of office.

He returned as president in 2007. In voting last year, he won a fourth term. However, the election has been widely discredited³ because he faced no real opposition⁴.

How did the unrest begin?

Social security reform in 2018 led to massive demonstrations⁵, supported by businesspeople and Catholic leaders. Nicaraguan security forces and civilian⁶ militants⁷ killed at least 355 people in answer to the activism, reported the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Another 2,000 were wounded and 1,600 jailed in the government offensive, it said.

Political unease continued in the country, however.

Months before last year's vote, a public opinion study found that support for five opposition candidates put Ortega's re-election in question. Within weeks all five were arrested, along with two other candidates.

How has the church been involved?

Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Nicaragua. The Church supported the Sandinista party after Somoza left office. But political differences between the party and the Church damaged their relationship over time.

The Church has been supportive of the protesters and their cause. In April 2018, the Church sheltered student demonstrators in the capital, Managua. It also provided food and money to support them.

High-level Church officials, including Cardinal⁸ Leopoldo Brenes and Managua Auxiliary⁹ Bishop¹⁰ Silvio Báez, openly criticized violence against political activists¹¹. Brenes said the protests were just and well-reasoned actions.

Báez rejected any political decision that would harm the people. He left the country in 2019 at the request of officials in Vatican City, the Roman Catholic Church's headquarters in Italy.

Ortega has answered by accusing some church officials of being part of a plot to overthrow him, calling them "terrorists."

What about the latest church-government conflict?

The church radio stations were closed by the government August 1. Police investigating álvarez accused him of "organizing violent groups."

álvarez has called for electoral reforms for what he described as "the democratization of the country." He also demanded the release of about 190 people he says are political prisoners.

Since August 3, officials have restricted álvarez to the Church complex where he lives. On Thursday, he appeared in a live social media broadcast of a religious service at the complex. Ten other people, also barred from leaving the complex, appeared with him on the broadcast.

The next day, Church leaders announced that the government had banned a planned religious march for security reasons. The church asked its members to attend a service at the complex, instead. Hundreds of Nicaraguans answered the call, attending the service under a heavy police presence.

What is the reaction from the Vatican?

For almost two weeks, the Vatican was publicly silent about the investigation¹² of álvarez. Some Latin American human rights activists criticized the Church's silence.

Juan Antonio Cruz is the Vatican's representative in the intergovernmental group, the Organization of American States (OAS).

Cruz expressed concern about the situation and asked both parties to "seek ways of understanding."

I'm Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

3 discredited   

不足信的，不名誉的

参考例句：

• The reactionary authorities are between two fires and have been discredited. 反动当局弄得进退维谷，不得人心。
• Her honour was discredited in the newspapers. 她的名声被报纸败坏了。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

6 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 cardinal   

n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的

参考例句：

• This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
• The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火，脸涨得通红。

9 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。

10 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。