Bishop Silvio Báez said goodbye to Nicaragua with a strong message against the Ortega regime: "This government has never wanted to dialogue"

The Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Báez, fierce critic of the regime of Daniel Ortega in the context of the crisis that Nicaragua has been going through for a year and which has caused hundreds of deaths because of the crackdown on the Sandinista security forces, led Sunday his last Mbad in the country Travel in Rome, where he will work at the Vatican on the orders of Pope Francis. In his message to the parishioners, he advocated to always be on the side of the victims, to defend human life and dignity and to reproach the government for not demonstrating the will to dialogue.

"Dialogue is the only peaceful outcome and can avoid worse consequences, but of course, in order to dialogue, it is necessary that both parties, first, agree to go to dialogue and what they are going to talk about, and that 'they are ready for both parties,' he said during his consultation by reporters after the celebration of Easter Mbad.

He badured, however, that neither the first dialogue, which took place from May to July of last year, nor the negotiations that ended on April 3, although the doors remained open for the continuation of the talks, the government has been willing to talk or give nothing ".

"We must have hope in the dialogue, but with the reservation that this government does not want to engage in dialogue and never wanted to engage in dialogue," he said.

On the other hand, in his Easter message, he badured that "freedom, dignity and life of people are not negotiated".

"We must always take a clear and firm stand against anything that destroys or degrades human life and dignity," he asked the faithful. He also urged those who believe in the righteousness of God for the crucified to always ask on their behalf.

"Are we on the side of those who crucify or in the name of the crucified?"he asked.

Religious, who recently denounced a plan of badbadination in the middle of the crisis in the country, He pleaded to support and defend those who are oppressed and who are violated in their dignitybecause this "is the best expression of faith itself in the risen".

"Where men lie dead, they cry and shed innocent blood, God puts their lives in. Where human injustice seems to triumph, in the one who is risen, we are certain that the righteousness of God is justified. on human injustices, "he exclaimed. applause from the parishioners.

He invited Nicaraguans, for their part, do not tire of doing good or fighting for peace and justice"so that, as disciples of the crucified, we can stand by the side of the victims and always defend human life and dignity and that we can always experience the immense joy of being forgiven and welcomed by God".

He also called on sinners to seek God's forgiveness.

"No matter how far apart we are from God, it does not matter if we agree with the evil, no matter if we have lived in darkness, no matter what basic sin we have committed," he declared.

For his part, he felt that Easter is a propitious time "to recognize all our mistakes, our selfishness, our hypocrisies and our evil without confession and our hidden sins" and that if anyone welcomes Jesus, he will feel "the power and strength of his forgiveness, which heals the heart and frees all slavery".

"No one is irretrievably lost, no one is irrevocably doomed to do wrong," he added.

Baez told sinners that, in spite of their mistakes and their limitations, the encounter with God "gives us the strength to defend our freedom without becoming the slave of any idol, of any human power".

Before going to Rome, the Auxiliary Bishop of Managua offered his homily before going to Rome on the decision of Pope Francis in the parish of Our Lord of Esquipulas, 11 kilometers south-east of the capital, where he was applauded by those present who shouted slogans for their infallible fight against regime abuse and abuse: "Silvio, my friend, the people are with you" and shouted for "freedom and justice for Nicaragua ".

Báez was one of the mediators of the frustrated national dialogue that took place between May and July 2018 to overcome the crisis and was among the wounded religious during an attack by government shock groups at a Catholic temple, after which Ortega accused "some bishops" of the episcopate of supporting a supposed "coup d'état missed".

The bishop, whom Ortega once called "bravado", claimed that the regime was primarily responsible for the humanitarian crisis that Nicaragua is facing as a result of "repression".

According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Nicaragua is going through a serious crisis that has made 325 deaths since April 2018, although some groups bring to 568 the death toll, while the executive It recognizes only 199 and denounces an badbadination attempt. coup d'etat.