Separated from his native Nicaragua by a government that disowned him for speaking up for justice and peace, Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega has accepted a peace award that he dedicated to courageous Nicaraguans continuing that advocacy. Source: OSV News.
Bishop Báez, the auxiliary bishop of Managua, who is now living in exile, received the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award from Bishop Dennis Walsh of Davenport Diocese in Iowa last month.
The exiled prelate thanked all who made the recognition possible “for your solidarity with those who believe that the world can be transformed through compassion, hope and commitment to peace and justice, beyond borders and cultural differences.”
He criticised the “dictatorial regime” in Nicaragua, which he said has silenced, slandered and persecuted the voices calling for justice and freedom, including the Catholic Church. “But the Church’s commitment to freedom, peace and justice remains because it is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.”
Bishop Báez said the award recognises the Church’s efforts as well.
He praised the Church in Nicaragua “for its faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus and its constant commitment to serving the people of God. The Nicaraguan Church, even amidst adversities, has stood by those who suffer the most: the poor, the exiled, and those who have been victims of injustice.”
“Like Jesus, the Church in my country has been like the good Samaritan in the parable — a community that bent down to listen and accompany those who suffer, to heal the wounds of those who bleed, and to communicate the hope of the risen Christ to those who feel discouraged and downcast.”
The Pacem award takes its name from the encyclical of St John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth).
St Teresa of Kolkata, Dorothy Day, the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr., and the Dalai Lama are among previous Pacem award recipients.
Bishop Walsh told Bishop Báez the award is in recognition of his “commitment as a shepherd of the poor and a courageous defender of human rights and democracy who had endured physical injury and threats to your life while pursuing mediation between government and pro-democracy forces in your beloved Nicaragua”.
FULL STORY
Exiled Nicaraguan bishop says award recognises ‘tireless struggle’ for justice in homeland (By Barb Arland-Fye, The Catholic Messenger via OSV News)
