MANAGUA — Nicaragua’s government expelled the Vatican ambassador and recalled its own diplomatic envoy to the Holy See on Saturday, escalating a crisis that began when Pope Francis called for the release of political prisoners and described the country as experiencing “a profound institutional crisis.” The dual expulsions mark the most severe rupture between Managua and the Vatican in decades.
The Nicaraguan foreign ministry gave Ambassador Waldemar Sommertag 72 hours to leave the country, reading its statement in full on state television during a prime-time broadcast. The Holy See said it had received no formal notification and called the accusations “unfounded and hurtful.” The diplomatic break comes amid a crackdown that has seen more than 150 people imprisoned since January.
Diego Vargas is Media Hook’s Latin America Correspondent.
Written by Diego Vargas, Latin America Correspondent