Panamanian priest Donaciano Alarcón was expelled from Nicaragua after celebrating the Eucharist at the beginning of Holy Week and is in Honduras, the Archbishop of Panama, Monsignor José Domingo Ulloa, who advocated for “religious freedom” told EFE on Tuesday.
In an interview with Archbishop of Panama, monsignor José Domingo Ulloa, he said “We do have news that the Panamanian priest Donaciano has been expelled. He is having an experience there with the Claretian Fathers. They had assigned him to Nicaragua. And when the Eucharist was over (on Monday at the beginning of Holy Week) they took him away and expelled him. He is now in San Pedro Sula.”
As the Catholic News Agency reported on April 5th, Alarcón, who worked at Mary Help of Christians Parish in the town of San José de Cusmapa in the Diocese of Estelí, was arrested by the police after celebrating Mass.
The Communications and Press Office of the Archdiocese of Panama reported that Father Alarcón “is well and safe after his expulsion from Nicaragua.”
The priest met in Honduras with Father Ismael Montero Toyos, superior of the Central American Claretians, who spoke about Alarcón’s situation “and the missionaries who are still in Nicaraguan territory, most of them foreigners.”
“We prefer that they be expelled than put in jail,” Montero said.
According to information from the Archdiocese of Panama, “Father Alarcón was accused of violating the decrees that prohibit public expressions [of faith] during Holy Week.”
On Monday, the Nicaraguan newspaper “Articulo66” also reported that Nicaraguan Government canceled the traditional aquatic Way of the Cross that has been held for more than 40 years in the Diocese of Granada on Lake Nicaragua, also known by the indigenous name Cocibolca.
The Via Crucis is not only a religious tradition but also a tourist activity that contributes to the economy of the local population, especially the boatmen, who are affected by this prohibition.
Source: News Agencies
