Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez of Managua, Nicaragua, left, who lives in exile in Miami, speaks with Father José Luis Díaz, Feb. 12, 2023, at St. Agatha Parish in Miami.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Bishop Silvio José Báez Ortega, O.C.D., who has risked his life advocating for justice and peace in his beloved homeland of Nicaragua will receive the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award on July 9 in Davenport. Bishop Dennis Walsh will present the award during a ceremony that begins at 7 p.m. in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. A Mass will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the cathedral. All are welcome to both events.
Now living in exile in the United States, Bishop Báez, 67, is among hundreds of Nicaraguans expelled or deported in recent years for criticizing the administration of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo. In 2019, the late Pope Francis asked Bishop Báez to leave Nicaragua because of concerns of death threats against him.
Bishop Báez teaches at a seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida but continues to speak out for human rights and democracy in Nicaragua. In 2023, he received the National Endowment for Democracy Award, which two previous Pacem award winners have received. “The people of Nicaragua will be free, and it will be due to the relentless courage, faith, and work of individuals such as Bishop Báez,” U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida said in a statement after presenting the democracy award to the bishop.
“Bishop Báez speaks prophetically against the government in his home country because the resulting oppression affects the lives of his people and perpetuates a multitude of injustices,” said Deacon Kent Ferris, director of Social Action for the Diocese of Davenport. He oversees the interfaith coalition that presents the Pacem award.
The award honors Pope John XXIII and commemorates his 1963 encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), which called on all people to secure peace among all nations. Previous recipients include Martin Luther King, Jr.; Dorothy Day; St. Teresa of Kolkata; Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Venerable Thích Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.
Members of the interfaith coalition that presents the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award include the Diocese of Davenport; St. Ambrose University, Davenport; Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois; Churches United of the Quad City Area; Islamic Center of the Quad Cities, Moline, Illinois; The Catholic Messenger; Muslim Community of the Quad Cities, Bettendorf; Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities; Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Davenport; Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton; and Sisters of St. Francis, Dubuque.
Bishop Dennis Walsh will present the award during a ceremony that begins July 9, 2025 at 7 p.m CDT. in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport; It will be on Live on Davenport Diocese YouTube .
(For more information about the award and the ceremony, contact Deacon Kent Ferris at ferris@davenportdiocese.org or call 563-324-1911.)
