Nicaragua bishops in new clash with Sandinista government

THE NICARAGUAN bishops have become embroiled in a new dispute with the Sandinista government over the televising of Sunday Masses.
Officials in the archdiocese of Managua" have accused the Sandinista television network of wanting to stop televising services celebrated by Archbishop Miguel Obando Bravo and substitute Masses said by priests sympathetic to the government.
But this was denied last week by Ivan Garcia, head of the Sandinista Television System. He told a meeting of the bishops' conference that he wanted to widen the scope of the service: "Our wish is to better show the Christian participation in the Mass by going to the neighbourhood parishes," he said. "We are not denying participation to Archbishop Obando, we only want other bishops to participate in the televised Mass programme, as well as parish pastors." Under the Sandinista proposal a bishop would be televised once a month with other Sundays devoted to parishes chosen by the bishop. Garcia said that attempts to reach a permanent agreement with Archbishop Obando's vicar, Mgr Bosco Vivas, had failed. The bishops' conference did not respond immediately A spokesman for the Managua archdiocese said that Archbishop Obando would continue with his Masses on Radio Catolica and on "whatever network wants to Join."
He said that since a televised Mass did not fulfil Catholics' Sunday obligation, its main purpose was "to deliver and project the message of the archbishop."