After praying the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 12, the pope said he was “pained” by the news coming out of Nicaragua and recalled “with concern” the situation of Bishop Álvarez, who was arrested in August by the regime of President Daniel Ortega; the bishop was sentenced Feb. 10 and stripped of his Nicaraguan citizenship.

Pope Francis prayed for Mary’s intercession to open the hearts of the “responsible politicians and all citizens” to the pursuit of peace, which he said is achieved through the “patient exercise of dialogue.”

Bishop Álvarez played an important role in mediation efforts between the Nicaraguan government and protesters in 2018 following waves of civil unrest, which killed more than 360 people. Ortega, who has been in power since 2007, has since accused the bishop and the Church of attempting to overthrow him.

In his comments, the pope also noted the 222 political prisoners deported from Nicaragua to the United States Feb. 9, a group that included five priests, a deacon, two seminarians and two media professionals employed by the Diocese of Matagalpa. Bishop Álvarez was on the list of deportees to be sent to the United States but refused to leave Nicaragua.

Those who did go to the United States were stripped of their Nicaraguan citizenship and were given a two-year humanitarian visa by the U.S. government. Spain has offered to give them citizenship.

One day after the deportees reached the United States, Bishop Álvarez was convicted of treason and undermining national integrity, among other charges, resulting in the 26-year prison sentence. He had been under house arrest since August.

The bishop’s arrest followed other moves by the Ortega regime targeted at the Catholic Church, including expelling Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and Archbishop Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, the former papal nuncio to Nicaragua.

Media in Nicaragua reported 222 political prisoners boarded a flight Feb. 9 to the United States, where they would be granted refuge.

In a video statement issued early Feb. 9, Nicaraguan judge Octavio Rothschuh ordered the political prisoners “deported” from Nicaragua.

“The deportees were declared traitors to the homeland, perpetually disqualified from exercising public office in the name of Nicaragua and perpetually disqualified from (holding) any elected position. They are in the United States, and, in this manner, we conclude the deportation sentence,” Rothschuh said.

The National Assembly promptly stripped the exiled political prisoners of their Nicaraguan citizenship.

The names of the prisoners were not immediately released, but Nicaraguan media and priests in exile said the list included Churchmen convicted in sham trials of conspiracy and spreading false information. The list also included opposition candidates disqualified by Ortega prior to elections in 2021 — the results of which U.S. and European officials refused to recognize.

Independent Nicaraguan news organization Confidencial reported that six Churchmen and a diocesan communicator, sentenced to 10 years in prison on conspiracy charges by a Nicaraguan court Feb. 6, were on the flight to the United States.

The list includes Fathers Ramiro Tijerino, José Luis Díaz and Sadiel Eugarrios; Deacon Raúl Antonio Vega; seminarians Darvin Leiva and Melkin Centeno; and cameraman Sergio Cárdenas — all from the Diocese of Matagalpa. Another priest, Father Óscar Danilo Benavidez, pastor in the community of Mulukuku, who was arrested Aug. 14 and was sentenced Feb. 5 on similar charges of conspiracy and spreading false information, also was reported to be on the flight.