With a third of its bishops forced into exile, the Nicaraguan episcopate renews its leadership

The religious assembly completed the renewal of its board of directors for the current triennium after replacing Carlos Herrera, who remains exiled along with three other members outside the national territory (Photo courtesy of citizen M. P. Molina) The Episcopal Conference of Nicaragua (CEN) renewed its board of directors to complete the 2025-2027 term and designated the bishop of Granada, Jorge Solórzano Pérez, as president in place of Carlos Enrique Herrera, who has remained outside the country since his expulsion in November 2024. The decision was adopted at the 2026 General Assembly, held in Managua with the participation of the bishops who remain in Nicaragua. The new composition retains Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, archbishop of Managua, as vice president; appoints Sócrates René Sándigo Jirón, bishop of León, as secretary general; and keeps the bishop of Juigalpa, Marcial Humberto Guzmán Saballos, as treasurer. The change formalizes a new institutional stage for the Nicaraguan episcopate, whose leadership has been affected by the exile, expulsions, and restrictions that have reached several of its members in recent years. Four Nicaraguan bishops remain outside the country, while the CEN reorganizes its authorities with the prelates who remain in the national territory. Board of directors with four authorities and mandate until 2027 The CEN communiqué, dated November 10, 2026 and signed by Sándigo, indicated that the bishops reflected on the pastoral work of the Church in Nicaragua during the assembly and resolved to elect the new leadership positions. The composition was formed as follows: President: Monsignor Jorge Solórzano Pérez, bishop of Granada. Vice President: Cardinal Leopoldo José Brenes Solórzano, archbishop of Managua. Secretary General: Monsignor Sócrates René Sándigo Jirón, bishop of León. Treasurer: Monsignor Marcial Humberto Guzmán Saballos, bishop of Juigalpa. The local clergy defined new institutional positions for the term through 2027 only with pastors present in the nation, due to the forced removal of four prominent prelates who reside abroad (Photo courtesy of citizen M. P. Molina) The election aims to complete the 2025-2027 triennium. The text released by the conference stated that the determination was made "in the light of the Holy Spirit and the company of the Virgin Mary," after a previous decision to postpone the appointments. Solórzano will assume the presidency of the CEN at a time when the episcopal structure is functioning without the in-person participation of four of its members. The new board represents the hierarchy that maintains activity within Nicaragua, while the exiled bishops remain outside the country. The main change falls on the presidency. Solórzano replaces Carlos Enrique Herrera, bishop of Jinotega, who led the CEN and was expelled from Nicaragua in November 2024. The clergyman remains in exile along with other members of the Catholic hierarchy. Solórzano was appointed bishop of Granada in March 2010 by Benedict XVI. He previously headed the diocese of Matagalpa and served as auxiliary bishop of Managua. In addition, he held the general secretariat of the CEN, so his arrival at the presidency represents the rise of a figure who was already part of the organization's leadership. The Episcopal Conference elected its four authorities from among the prelates who remain in the country, while Carlos Herrera, Silvio Báez, Rolando Álvarez, and Isidoro Mora continue outside the national territory (Photo courtesy of citizen M. P. Molina) The change occurred less than a month after Herrera was received at the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV on October 12, as reported by La Prensa, a Nicaraguan newspaper. The outlet indicated that at that meeting the pontiff recognized him as president of the Nicaraguan bishops. Until then, the bishops who are outside Nicaragua had not publicly commented on the new composition of the board of directors. Brenes retains the vice presidency and Sándigo takes the general secretariat Brenes's continuity as vice president ensures the permanence of one of the main references of the Nicaraguan Catholic hierarchy within the leadership of the CEN. The cardinal, who is also archbishop of Managua, joins the new board along with Solórzano, Sándigo, and Guzmán. Sándigo, for his part, leaves the presidency of the CEN to assume the general secretariat. The bishop of León had held the position that Solórzano will now assume since the 2021 election. Guzmán will continue as treasurer. His permanence completes a structure that combines continuity and turnover in the central positions: two members maintain their functions —Brenes and Guzmán—, while Solórzano and Sándigo exchange responsibilities within the episcopal leadership. The CEN entrusted the mission of the board members "under the direction of the Wisdom of God and our Most Holy Mother," according to the document released after the assembly. In addition to Herrera, Silvio José Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua; Rolando Álvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí; and Isidoro Mora, bishop of Siuna, remain outside Nicaragua. Báez left Nicaragua in 2019, after Pope Francis recommended that he leave the country due to threats, according to information gathered in the documents. Álvarez and Mora were sent to the Vatican in January 2024, after having been detained by the Nicaraguan authorities. Herrera was expelled ten months later. His departure left vacant the in-person representation of the one who headed the CEN and precipitated the need to redefine the leadership of the organization. The absence of the four prelates conditions the institutional life of the Nicaraguan Catholic Church. The new board was elected by the bishops who remain in the country, while there is no public information about a possible participation of the exiled bishops in future assemblies or decisions of the episcopate.