When you are more than 1,000 miles away from home and your entire
family is struggling with the violence from pro-government groups against the
Catholic Church, what can you do?
“The only thing we can do here is pray,” said Arturo Downs, a
native of Nicaragua who attends Holy Family Church in Dale City.
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua has faced numerous violent
attacks from pro-government groups. Clergy and bishops were attacked July 9,
including Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes Solorzano of Managua and his auxiliary,
Bishop Silvio Jose Baez, and Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, the
apostolic nuncio, as they attempted to protect St. Sebastian Basilica in the
city of Diriamba from an incursion by a pro-government mob, according to recent
reports. The church has provided humanitarian aid and attempted to mediate
in the midst of a government crackdown on protests.
More than 1,000 Hispanic Catholics raised Nicaraguan flags and
prayers for the country to support the Bishops of Latin America and the
Caribbean, during a Mass for healing to the people of Nicaragua July 20. Father
José E. Hoyos, director of the Spanish Apostolate, celebrated Mass at Holy
Family Church with Colombia native Father Liderman Orozco as the concelebrant.
The bishops requested prayers for the country from the entire
world July 22, a day on which they prayed the prayer of exorcism to St. Michael
the Archangel.
During the procession of gifts, Nicaraguans carried flags and
received a blessing from Father Hoyos, who noticed a flag was carried upside
down.
“When I asked why the flag was upside down, they said it was
because they are asking the Lord to put the country in the right way,” he said.
At the end of Mass, the attendees offered a moment of silence for
the more than 300 Nicaraguans who have been killed in the recent fighting.
“I believe we need to support those who belong to us, those who
are part of this diocesan family, that we remind them they are not alone,” said
Father Hoyos. “They have faith in us. They are Catholics and we believe that
solidarity begins in our home, in our diocese.”
Father Hoyos said there are many Nicaraguans in the Northern
Virginia area. “The church has to be with them and stand with them as an
immigrant community.”
David Agren from Catholic News Service contributed to
this article.
