Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega, OCD, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, now living in exile, accepts the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award July 9 in the Great Hall at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
By Barb Arland-Fye
The Catholic Messenger
Separated from his beloved Nicaragua by a government that disowned him for speaking up for justice and peace, Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega, OCD, accepted a peace award in Davenport that he dedicated to courageous Nicaraguans continuing that advocacy.
Bishop Báez, the auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua now living in exile, received the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award from Bishop Dennis Walsh on July 9. The ceremony followed Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, where Bishop Báez gave a homily focusing on the Beatitudes, specifically, the blessed ones who “hunger and thirst for justice” and the “peacemakers.”
The Pacem award takes its name from the encyclical of Pope St. John XXIII, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth). St. Teresa of Kolkata, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama, are among previous Pacem award recipients. Bishop Walsh and the interfaith Pacem in Terris Coalition of the Quad Cities presented the award.
“The coalition recognizes your commitment as a shepherd of the poor and a courageous defender of human rights and democracy who had endured physical injury and threats to your life while pursuing mediation between government and pro-democracy forces in your beloved Nicaragua,” Bishop Walsh said. “Your perseverance, built on responding to the call of the Gospel, has inspired you to seek peace by working for justice.”
In 2019, the late Pope Francis asked Bishop Báez to leave Nicaragua because of death threats against him and in 2023, he was among 94 people that a Nicaraguan court called “dissidents” and stripped them of their citizenship.
Bishop Baez described the award as prestigious and an honor to receive. The award, he said, “is not primarily a personal honor, but a recognition of the tireless struggle of many courageous and dignified Nicaraguans who have worked — and continue to work — for peace, freedom, and the defense of human rights in our country.”
Among those at the Mass and ceremony were refugees from Nicaragua who now live in Iowa — a married couple, a priest and an exiled journalist — who said they took encouragement from the bishop’s message.
Bishop Báez thanked all who made the recognition possible “for your solidarity with those who believe that the world can be transformed through compassion, hope and commitment to peace and justice, beyond borders and cultural differences,” he said.
“The Pacem in Terris award serves as a reminder that social peace cannot be defined simply by the ‘mere absence of violence’ (Evangelii Gaudium, 219) … Peace is built every day through listening, authentic dialogue, and the ability to build bridges, even when they seem impossible. Similarly, peace is fostered through social equity, inclusion of the poor, respect for human rights, and the courage to denounce injustice.”
Bishop Báez praised the Catholic Church of Nicaragua “for its faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus and its constant commitment to serving the people of God. The Nicaraguan Church, even amidst adversities, has stood by those who suffer the most: the poor, the exiled, and those who have been victims of injustice …”
“Like Jesus, the Church in my country has been like the Good Samaritan in the parable — a community that bent down to listen and accompany those who suffer, to heal the wounds of those who bleed, and to communicate the hope of the Risen Christ to those who feel discouraged and downcast.”
He criticized the “dictatorial regime” in Nicaragua, which he said has silenced, slandered and persecuted the voices calling for justice and freedom — including the Catholic Church. “But the Church’s commitment to freedom, peace and justice remains because it is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.” Bishop Báez said the award recognizes the Church’s efforts as well.
Bishop Silvio Jose Báez Ortega, OCD, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua, now living in exile, listens to a closing prayer at the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award ceremony July 9 in the Great Hall at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport.
Also pictured are Bishop Dennis Walsh and Father William Kneemiller.
Bishop Báez said that as a bishop of the Catholic Church he strives daily to live as a disciple of Jesus and to dedicate himself as a pastor of God’s people. Although living in exile, he continues to advocate for peace and justice in Nicaragua and teaches Sacred Scripture at St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida.
“The saving power of Jesus sustains me every day and drives me, even amid the shadows, to walk in the light of the Gospel of Christ mediated and contemplated in the silence of prayer. Through prayer and union with Christ, I find the strength and wisdom to be his witness amidst the darkness that envelops my country.”
In receiving the Pacem award, Bishop Báez said he is honored to represent “the many brave men and women of Nicaragua” who “continue to fight for a future of freedom and justice for our people …” He said they “enrich and inspire my episcopal ministry.”
Nicaragua has turned into “a vast prison” because of the dictatorial regime that has taken hold of the country and clings to power, “brutally crushing all dissent, denying our people the most basic dignity. …But with God’s grace, the spiritual support of the universal Church and the adequate pressure from the international community, we will not tire of continuing to dream and fight peacefully for justice and freedom in Nicaragua.”
“…The unwavering desire for freedom, the radical choice for peaceful solutions and the respect for human life remain the light that illuminates the hearts, steps, and projects of Nicaraguans who dream of a free Nicaragua.”
The efforts of Bishop Báez “have created peace and justice by speaking truth to power,” Lisa Killinger of the Muslim Community of the Quad Cities said in her closing prayer. “Let us go forth from this gathering inspired by not only Bishop Báez’s work but also the work of the many Pacem in Terris awardees that have come before him,” she prayed. “… And bless the Peacemakers, who do good works large and small, in the open, and in secret, where there is no one but God to witness those good deeds.”
Giovanna Rodriguez, and her husband, Luis Somarriba Rivas, who fled Nicaragua in 2022, traveled from their home in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, to attend the Pacem award ceremony. Bishop Baez is “always modeling love for God, sharing hope for Nicaraguans,” Rodriguez said. Father Nils de Jesus Hernandez, pastor of Queen of Peace Parish in Waterloo, Iowa, said he appreciated that Bishop Báez spoke out about what the Nicaraguan government is doing.
