Nicaraguans Celebrate Holy Week As Street Processions Banned

This handout picture released by the official El 19 Digital news outlet on April 3, 2026, shows Catholic faithful taking part in Via Crusis (Way of the Cross) chaired by Leopoldo Jose Brenes, Metropolitan Archbishop, at the gardens of the Managua Cathedral in Managua. (Photo by CESAR PEREZ / El 19 DIGITAL / AFP)   Thousands of Nicaraguans celebrated Holy Week in church atriums and interiors on Friday as the government maintained a ban on street processions that the United States has criticized as a violation of religious freedoms. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569656851-0"); }); Nicaragua’s leader, Daniel Ortega, and his co-president wife Rosario Murillo have forbidden public demonstrations, including religious processions, over the past four years. “Once again this year, the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship is denying the people of Nicaragua the right to profess their faith… by banning such public processions,” US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau wrote on X on Wednesday. “I look forward to the day when our Nicaraguan friends reclaim their religious freedom,” Landau said. READ ALSO: Easter: End Terror Reign On Nigerians, Archbishop Martins Tells Political Leaders, Condemns Killings Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672569913499-0"); }); This handout picture released by the official El 19 Digital news outlet on April 3, 2026, shows Catholic faithful taking part in Via Crusis (Way of the Cross) chaired by Leopoldo Jose Brenes, Metropolitan Archbishop, at the gardens of the Managua Cathedral in Managua. (Photo by CESAR PEREZ / El 19 DIGITAL / AFP)   The Ortega-Murillo government said in response it “categorically rejects the perverse and false accusations” from Washington. Worshippers who attended Friday’s religious celebrations in Managua told AFP by phone that the Stations of the Cross were held in the gardens of a plaza inside the cathedral walls, while under police surveillance. Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes estimated that more than 25,000 people had gathered in the cathedral plaza, according to pro-government media. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587799169-0"); }); Murillo said on Friday that the outpouring from the faithful in churches contradicted those who “distort” the situation. Ortega and Murillo consider anti-government protests in 2018 as a US-backed coup attempt and accuse the Catholic Church of backing the demonstrations. More than 300 people were killed when authorities cracked down on the protests, according to a United Nations estimate, while hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans — including Catholic priests, politicians, students and journalists — were sent into exile. Advertisement googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1672587060870-0"); }); Join Our Whatsapp Channel To join: Simply click on the link below & turn on notifications to get the latest updates Subscribe to Our Newsletter In This Article: Daniel Ortega Holy Week Nicaragua Rosario Murillo More Stories Experts Report Nicaraguan ‘Systematic Human Rights Violations’ to UN Many Nicaraguan Businesses Closed As 24-Hour Strike Begins Nicaragua Govt Expels UN Human Rights Mission – NGOs /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * / var disqus_shortname = 'channelstelevision'; // Required - Replace example with your forum shortname / * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */ (function() { var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true; dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js'; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq); })(); Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/04/04/nicaraguans-celebrate-holy-week-as-street-processions-banned/