JINOTEGA, Nicaragua – Two churches in the Diocese of Jinotega in northern Nicaragua have been desecrated in the past week, amid rising tensions between the Church and the government of president Daniel Ortega.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – As attacks on Catholic clergy continue and anti-government protesters are besieged by Nicaraguan police and paramilitaries, the bishops said they would pray an exorcism prayer.

COPAN, Honduras -- Nicaraguan bishops and clergy were attacked by armed groups aligned with the government July 9 as violence in the Central American country escalated and affected the Catholic Church, which has provided humanitarian assistance in its parishes and has tried to diffuse a worsening political crisis through dialogue.

Managua, Nicaragua – As the situation in Nicaragua continues to deteriorate, two of the country's bishops are travelling to Rome, where they will brief Pope Francis on the state of affairs in their nation.

VATICAN – Once honoured by his native Nicaragua as a "father of peace and reconciliation," Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo, retired archbishop of Managua, died June 3 at the age of 92.

MEXICO – The Nicaraguan bishops' conference has denounced death threats against an outspoken bishop, whose comments on corruption and support for students in the protests consuming the country have been poorly received by those in power.

MEXICO CITY – A Nicaraguan bishop urged the country's embattled president to "reconsider" his repression tactics as the country convulses with protests against corruption and authoritarian rule and the Catholic Church tries to play the role of mediator.

VATICAN – Pope Francis called for an end to violence in Nicaragua after several days of protests against proposed social security legislation led to the deaths of more than two dozen people.

As I ran down a dirt road in the village of Nandarola, Nicaragua, I could hear the bus approaching behind me, its air horn tauntingly blowing. With four-year-old Miguel on my shoulders, the two of us were racing the bus back to his small house. It was the last day of my visit to this remote community. It was a poignant moment, waving goodbye to the mothers and children — Miguel included — as we left, and one of many fulfilling and joyful experiences I had in Nicaragua.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Catholic Church representatives in Nicaragua are concerned about the potential social and environmental impact of building a 278-km-long canal through the country to link the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

The planet produces enough food to feed everyone, yet more than 800 million people go hungry every day.

TORONTO - Armless guitarist Tony Melendez wants audiences to walk away from his performances with hope.

Three 16-year-old Nicaraguan students’ had their dreams shattered as an all-expenses-paid trip to Canada ended before it began when they were denied visas to enter Canada.

“The day I got the phone call here in my office I sat here and cried, literally sat here and cried,” said Brenda Holtkamp, chaplaincy leader at Robert F. Hall Catholic Secondary School in Caledon, Ont., which had sponsored the Nicaraguans. “Not only was I sad for myself and all the students here in the school that worked so hard for this reality, I was really very said for the young people in Nicaragua who have never had the opporunity to travel, who were so close to being here . . . and just because of bureaucracy they were turned down.”