The Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, affirmed that Pope Francis encouraged them to continue being messengers of reconciliation and hope. The Archbishop also said that the Pope “knows the reality very well” in Nicaragua.
On Monday, the Cardinal participated in an audience with the Holy Father as part of the CELAM presidency. He has presented the document of the Ecclesial Assembly of Latin America and the Caribbean.
In statements released on 1 November, Cardinal Brenes told Vatican News that the situation in Nicaragua “was a sure issue that would be discussed with the Pope. He is well informed and knows the reality very well, just some details that he asked me, and I gave him my opinion”.
The Archbishop of Managua said that Pope Francis “always showed solidarity with us and invited us to continue working in pastoral care, to be messengers of reconciliation and messengers of hope.”
“We cannot be lamenting ourselves in certain situations that we see. We cannot be looking back, but we have to always go forward, and above all walk in that communion, in that closeness”, he added.
“The Pope remembers that of the shepherds, who have to go forward, in the middle and behind, accompanying their people. And it is what invites us as pastors in the pilgrim Church in Nicaragua”, he affirmed.