“One day, these policemen will leave the institution, they will be lay people and at best, in the back of their hearts, they will say, ‘I one day attacked my brothers’, this is sad, it is painful, above all, that we keep attacking among Nicaraguans, because that always leaves a wound,” Cardinal Leopoldo Brenes, archbishop of Managua and president of the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference (CEN), said Sunday.
In addition, the prelate said he recently met with the National Police commanders to express concerns about the levels of violence recorded in the latest demonstrations and the arrests of anti-government protesters.
Cardinal Brenes urges the Nicaraguan Police to be the peace builder
Without delving into the details of the meeting with the police chiefs, he said that “we have had a meeting (with the police commanders), in which we have expressed concerns, each bishop in his dioceses is taking action, because we are worried that the violence increases.”
He pointed out that he spoke with the police chiefs about the need “that we can all be true elements of peace and reconciliation, perhaps the Lord occupies me as an instrument, I want to be the bearer of that desire of the Lord, that we can build a world in peace” .
The cardinal did not specify the names of the high police commanders with whom he met, but he maintained that in the different departments the representatives of the Church carry out actions to try to contribute to the cessation of violence during the demonstrations.
“I was in León and the priests told me that they also had some meetings to express their concerns,” Brenes added.
Cardinal Brenes also called on citizens to be committed to promoting peace, which is a gift from God that needs the commitment of each person with prayer and with the action to generate it.
The cardinal commented that it would be regrettable if the peaceful anti-government demonstrations were suspended due to the pressure exerted by the police to intimidate the people who wish to march to express their demands to the government.
Last Friday, the Police issued a statement saying that the marches against the Government in September have caused damages and that “the ‘convocados’ are responsible and will be brought to justice for the threats, criminal actions and aggressions that appear in the development of these activities.”
In reference to the statement, Brenes said that “it is sad, it is said that to have a protest you have to comply with some rules of the game, but these marches are peaceful. Let’s honor that these marches are peaceful, unfortunately, sometimes someone infiltrates and suddenly throws a stone, that’s negative, I urge that the marches be without offense to avoid confrontations. “
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