Murillo Criticizes Nicaragua’s Catholic Church

Rosario Murillo, the spouse of Nicaragua’s leader Daniel Ortega, sharply criticized the nation’s Catholic Church on Tuesday, labeling its priests as “servants of the devil.”

Murillo, who has held official power alongside her husband as Nicaragua’s “co-president” since 2025, has been a prominent figure in Ortega’s extended campaign against Christianity and the Catholic Church in the country.

During a regime broadcast that began with themes of “faith” and “spiritual strength,” she asserted that clergy opposing Ortega’s communist regime were engaging in sins and described them as “servants of Satan,” charged with “malice, envy, ambition, and greed.”

“Let’s reflect on our creations, which can be harmful and anti-Christian, even if they mask themselves in a show of egos. Those who aren’t true shepherds or prophets, well, they embody malice and envy—a contest of evil,” she stated in her remarks. This was reported by government-related media outlet El19 digital.

Murillo continued, “All they’ve ever done is fuel hatred and jealousy, targeting those who are more visible or knowledgeable, even in their own fields. How can they call themselves ‘people of love’ when they attack responsible individuals, serving nothing but the devil?”

In December, Nicaraguan-Spanish priest Rafael Aragón accused Murillo of distorting the Christian message to assert control over both Catholic and Protestant churches and distancing Nicaraguan Christianity from what she perceives as a Christian-centric Western culture.

Murillo and Ortega have led a relentless campaign against the Catholic Church, particularly following the church’s backing of anti-communist protests in 2018—protests which resulted in over 300 deaths. Since 2022, the regime has considerably escalated its oppression of Christians, with independent investigations documenting over 1,000 acts of persecution against Christians and the Catholic Church over the past six years.

These actions have included banning Holy Week processions, unjustly arresting and expelling church members, and seizing significant church assets like bank accounts and universities. Over the years, Murillo has openly criticized members of the Catholic Church, referring to them as “devils,” “evil spirits,” “blasphemers,” and “false representatives of God.”

In 2022, she accused Bishop Rolando Álvarez of committing “crimes against spirituality” for his criticism of the regime. This accusation came just before police conducted a two-week raid on the Matagalpa diocese, resulting in Álvarez’s arrest and a 26-year sentence for “treason.” This case has been one of the more notable instances of persecution under Ortega’s rule, leading to Álvarez’s exile by the Vatican and his loss of Nicaraguan citizenship in early 2024.

Recently, Murillo took the opportunity to deride Nicaraguans who have been forced to leave the country, referring to them as “kites without a tail” who “sell themselves to the highest bidder,” and using the term “zopilotes,” which refers to vultures in Central America.

“I will never forget that sinister plan where some acted as lookouts, warned us of impending events, created their own victims, and shared the footage,” she said, referring to the extensive documentation of the Ortega regime’s repression. “That’s their distorted reality, a truly upside-down world.”

“But as the song says, the commander sent them packing. Now they’re lost in their confusion with no one to send them back,” Murillo added. “We, the Nicaraguan people, did not drive them away. They chose their fate, becoming ‘kites without a tail,’ misusing words that don’t even fit and persisting in causing harm.”