Nicaragua: Information on the Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Church of Nicaragua, and on the treatment of Assemblies of God members by Sandinistas since 1990
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 December 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NIC19108.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nicaragua: Information on the Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Church of Nicaragua, and on the treatment of Assemblies of God members by Sandinistas since 1990, 1 December 1994, NIC19108.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac9778.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Previous Responses to Information Requests available through the REFINFO database refer to the Assemblies of God and Pentecostal churches in Nicaragua during the 1980s. Most of these responses are related to military service and the position of the Pentecostal and other churches on that subject.
According to a regional coordinator for Latin America of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri, the church has existed and grown in Nicaragua for a long time, and its international liaison is based in Costa Rica (2 Dec. 1994). The Assemblies of God headquarters in Missouri has not received any reports of problems faced by its members and followers in Nicaragua during the government of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, which began in 1990 (ibid.). The source pointed out that the Assemblies of God church enjoys generally good relations with all political sectors of Nicaragua, although it is conceivable that in some isolated case an individual might have faced problems with militants of a political group or other individuals (ibid.).
According to the regional liaison office for the Assemblies of God in San José, Costa Rica, which covers the activities of the church in Nicaragua, incidents of abuse or mistreatment against members or activists of the Assemblies of God in Nicaragua have not been known to occur during the Chamorro administration (2 Dec. 1994).
The president of the Baptist Convention of Nicaragua stated that abuses against individuals because of their religious affiliation or beliefs have not been known to take place during the Chamorro administration (2 Dec. 1994). The source stated that if a member or follower of any church has faced threats or attacks in recent years, it may have been attributable to their stand on a particular public or political issue, but not to their religious belief (ibid.).
According to the executive director of the Consejo Evangélico Pro-Ayuda al Desarrollo (CEPAD), a social assistance and development organization that groups approximately 60 evangelical (non-Catholic Christian) denominations, the Assemblies of God have existed in Nicaragua since the 1930s (2 Dec. 1994). During the "contra" war, problems between all religious and political groups occurred, but for reasons of political opinion and the circumstances that are particular to a war situation, not because of religious belief (ibid.). Some religious activists who took certain political stands may have been accosted by either party to the armed conflict, but problems that could jeopardize the life of religious activists are not known by church leaders to have taken place under the current government (ibid.).
For additional information on Pentecostal and other churches in Nicaragua, please consult the documents attached to this Response and to Response to Information Request NIC19109.E of 2 December 1994. These documents add to the information provided by various publications on religions and religious freedom available through your Regional Documentation Centre.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Assemblies of God, San José, Costa Rica. 2 December 1994. Telephone interview with regional liaison staff.
, Springfield, Miss. 2 December 1994. Telephone interview with regional coordinator for Latin America.
Baptist Convention of Nicaragua, Managua. 2 December 1994. Telephone interview with president.
Consejo Evangélico Pro-Ayuda al Desarrollo (CEPAD), Managua. Telephone interview with executive director.
Attachments
Barricada Internacional [Managua]. 30 June 1990. Scarlet Cuadra. "State Blessing for Catholicism," p. 7.
InterPress Service (IPS). 6 November 1994. Roberto Fonseca López. "Parishioners on Family Planning." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 30 Oct.-13 Nov. 1994, pp. 9-10)
Latinamerica Press [Lima]. 3 May 1990. "Nicaragua: Evangelicals Bring the 'Good News'," p. 3.
Newsday [New York]. 22 July 1990. Nassau and Suffolk Edition. Robert Collier. "In Nicaragua, a Media Blitz by 700 Club." (NEXIS)
The San Francisco Chronicle. 1 June 1990. Three Star Edition. Robert Collier. "700 Club Hits Snag in New Nicaragua: Pat Robertson Group Hampered by Scandal." (NEXIS)
The Washington Times. 16 March 1990. Final Edition. Larry Whitman. "Protestant Coalition Urges Change in Missionary Stance in Nicaragua." (NEXIS)