Posted on 10/05/2022 6:32:16 PM PDT by marshmallow
Church in the country has been under increasing pressure since being accused of backing anti-government protests in 2018
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega on Wednesday called the Catholic Church a "perfect dictatorship" for not allowing members to elect the pope and other authority figures.
In the Church, "everything is imposed, it's a perfect dictatorship, it's a perfect tyranny," he said, amidst ongoing tensions between his government and the religious institution.
"If they are going to be democratic, let them start with Catholics voting for the pope, for cardinals, for bishops," he said during a televised speech to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Nicaraguan police's establishment.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has been under increasing government pressure since being accused by Ortega of backing protests against his government in 2018.
The demonstrations were met with a crackdown that left hundreds dead.
Ortega maintains the protests were part of a United States-backed opposition plot to unseat him, and accuses bishops of complicity.
During his speech Wednesday, Ortega called out bishops and priests as "killers" and "coup plotters".
Pope Francis, leader of the Catholic Church, earlier this month insisted on the importance of "never stopping the dialogue" with Nicaragua.
"There is a dialogue. We are talking with the government," the pope said. "That does not mean that we approve of everything the government does, or that we disapprove."
In March, Nicaragua expelled the Vatican's ambassador to the country.
(Excerpt) Read more at ucanews.com ...
Sayz the fascist.
He’s jealous.
And his cuz, Francis, is jealous of him.
From Ortega’s mouth to Bishop Bätzing’s ear ... errr ... Bätzing’s mouth: “there is a very clear two-thirds to three-quarter majority of the German Bishops’ Conference who explicitly says that we have to move forward, that reforms are needed.” So many Germans can’t possible be wrong, right Ortega?
SPJNK.
ya dint say that when they were backing you...
I am not certain that there is such a concept as perfect dictatorship. Nor is there such a thing as pure evil. Athens, Greece had a pure democracy and they decided to kill Socrates. Sometimes, it helps to see what a person is doing in addition to what they are saying.
Actually, it’s not a perfect dictatorship because it operates under some well-known precepts that give you a way to critique the actions of the leadership.
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