Nicaragua - August 2023
Jesuit congregation shut down by the Ortega government
Daniel Ortega’s government has shut down the Jesuit congregation in Nicaragua, stripping it of its legal personality, days after it closed the Central American University (Universidad Centroamericana UCA), run by the religious organization. An order by the Ministry of Interior justified the measure as consequence of the alleged lack of compliance by the Jesuit congregation with its fiscal duties; the government further confiscated its assets and transferred their property to the State. The persecution of members of religious orders has taken place consistently, after Ortega accused the Catholic Church of attempting to destabilize his government. The confiscation of the Jesuits' assets has a particular impact on education in the country, as the congregation had administered a number of schools. The government announced the creation of a new state-university on the former grounds of the UCA.
