Monsignor Silvio Báez, Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, urged Catholics not to fear the powerful and to publicly proclaim God’s truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Speaking at Mass on Sunday, June 22, 2026, at Santa Agatha Parish in Miami, Florida, the bishop said Jesus calls disciples to announce what God expects of humanity and to denounce everything that opposes His plan.
Bishop Báez, who was forced into exile from Nicaragua in April 2019 due to pressure from the Ortega-Murillo government, stressed that prayer is essential for this mission. “A disciple of Jesus cannot remain silent about the truth of God, neither for fear of being rejected nor out of prudence so as not to offend others,” he said. He added that the Church must speak the liberating word of Christ amid the darkness in the world.
The prelate also warned that the Church cannot stay silent or look away when societies trample human dignity, ignore freedom, marginalize the poor, and forget victims. Bishop Báez is one of four Nicaraguan bishops now living in exile.