Two Nicaraguan priests celebrated mass with their fellow Nicaraguans living in exile.
They were among the group of more than 200 political prisoners released on Thursday, Feb. 9, by the administration of Daniel Ortega.
Mass Celebration
At St. Agatha Church in Sweetwater, two priests joined Bishop Silvio Báez, an auxiliary bishop of Managua, to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving on Feb. 12 for the release of political prisoners.
The mass was celebrated in conjunction with Bishop Silvio Báez.
As mentioned, one priest is from the Diocese of León, and the other is from the Diocese of Matagalpa.
At the beginning of the Mass, Fr. Marcos Somarriba, the pastor of St. Agatha Parish, introduced the priests and expressed his gratitude that they had asked to come to St. Agatha.
He said he was happy they had asked to come to St. Agatha because it is where one of the largest Nicaraguan communities can be.
St. Agatha is reportedly home to one of the largest communities of Nicaraguans living in the United States.
After the mass, both priests talked to La Voz Católica, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Miami published in Spanish, about their incarceration at El Chipote, a maximum-security prison located in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua.
Nicaraguan Government Releases Over 200 Prisoners
According to CBS News, more than 200 political prisoners from Nicaragua were released by the government of the United States to Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C., on Feb. 9, after the government of the United States offered them refuge in the country.
The USA and the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua have been engaged in continuous negotiations, and the historical release is one of the outcomes of those talks.
Officials from the United States were adamant that Nicaragua did not get anything in exchange for the inmates at this time.
The past contenders for president of Nicaragua, Juan Sebastian Chamorro and Felix Maradiaga, are two of the individuals who have been set free.
Their wives, Vicky Cardenas and Berta Valle, were interviewed for a 60-minute segment titled "Democracy Lost," which was initially aired on Oct. 31, 2021, and discussed their husbands' arrest and wrongful detention and other presidential candidates in Nicaragua before the elections in 2021.
Moreover, prisoners from all sides of the political spectrum, including students, opposition leaders, business leaders, religious members, and banking officials, were among those who were finally granted their freedom after spending years languishing in the deplorable conditions at Nicaragua's El Chipote prison.
At least one political prisoner passed away while being held captive.
Officials have told reporters in the administration of the United States who know the situation that the Ortega regime has released the prisoners in the hopes of reopening dialogue with the United States.
At this point, the Nicaraguan government has not requested anything, in particular, to be given back in exchange.
Just two of the 224 detainees were not interested in seeking shelter in the United States when it was offered.
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