Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the Chair of the House Global Human Rights subcommittee, today renewed his request to visit Bishop Rolando José Álvarez in Nicaragua:

            “I remain very concerned about the safety and wellbeing of Bishop Rolando José Álvarez amid inconsistent reports of his status in Nicaragua, and I renew my request to visit him there,” said Smith, who issued a letter to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega last month requesting a meeting with Bishop Álvarez.

            “Bishop Álvarez is a compassionate and honorable servant of God’s people who continues to so bravely and selflessly advocate for other innocent victims who are also being persecuted by the brutal Ortega regime, including his brother priests who remain imprisoned,” said Smith, who chaired a congressional hearing in March where he called for a “new phase” in pressuring Ortega and combatting his extreme anti-Catholic persecution including the outrageous imprisonment of Álvarez.

            “I continue to call for the end of persecution of the Catholic Church by the Nicaraguan state and the immediate release of Bishop Álvarez and all other religious and political prisoners who are unjustly incarcerated.”

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