Pope Francis expressed his concern on Sunday at the imprisonment of Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Nicaragua, who was sentenced to more than 26 years in prison in the Latin American country.
The pope’s comments about Alvarez, who is an outspoken critic of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, were made at his weekly blessing for pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square.
Ortega has accused Catholic leaders of trying to overthrow him after protests that killed nearly 300 people in 2018. Since then, the government of the former Cold War-era Marxist rebel has expelled Catholic nuns and missionaries.
Alvarez was convicted on Friday of sedition, undermining national integrity and spreading false news, among other charges.