"Nicaraguan Authorities Escalate Crackdown with Multiple Catholic Priest Arrests"

Nicaraguan police have arrested three more Catholic priests, increasing the total detained this week to at least nine, amid a broader crackdown on the Church by President Daniel Ortega's government. The arrests include critics of Ortega, such as Bishop Rolando Alvarez, who was sentenced to 26 years for treason earlier this year. The government has not provided reasons for the recent arrests, which follow a history of accusing church leaders of subversion since protests in 2018. The crackdown has intensified after Pope Francis labeled Ortega's government a "gross dictatorship," leading to severed ties with the Vatican.