The Nicaraguan Ministry of Interior recently ordered the cancellation of the legal status of the Jesuit religious community, a Catholic congregation, and confiscation of all its property. This action has been attributed to the community’s failure to report their financial statements with detailed breakdowns over the fiscal periods of 2020, 2021, and 2022. Furthermore, the ministry cited the Jesuits’ alleged failure to timely update the information of its board of directors as an additional reason for the cancellation.
According to this decree, the Jesuit religious community allegedly breached its obligations laid out in Articles 34 and 35 of the General Law of Regulation and Control of Non-profit Organizations of Nicaragua. These obligations include the following:
- Submission of financial statements with detailed breakdowns of income, expenses, balance sheet, details of donations, such as source of income, final destination, and source of funds, and more;
- Accounting balances with tax declaration;
- Prior report of the projects to be developed;
- Verification and documentation of the identity and good reputation of donors;
- Prompt updates of all information, documents, or acts subject to registration.
Based on these alleged violations, the ministry approved the cancellation of the Jesuits’ legal status and the transfer of all movable and immovable property to the state of Nicaragua.
This action against the Jesuit community marks the second move within a week against Catholic churches in Nicaragua by President Daniel Ortega’s administration. This follows the government’s confiscation of the Jesuit-run University of Central America on August 16. President Ortega’s administration continues to target religious organizations, notably deploying tactics of closure and property confiscation against Catholic institutions and arresting Catholic priests.
These actions have provoked backlash, with a resolution by the Organization of American States (OAS) condemning the targeting of Catholic organizations. Furthermore, the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the US strongly rebuked the Nicaraguan government’s actions, terming them as “unjustified aggression.”