Bishop Silvio Báez, auxiliary bishop of Managua, Nicaragua. / Credit: Courtesy of Archdiocese of Managua
ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 22, 2025 / 16:02 pm (CNA).
From his exile in the United States, Nicaraguan Bishop Silvio Báez denounced what he considered the "real problem" of Latin American dictatorships and cartels: the idolatry of money.
Although he did not mention specific countries in his homily at the Mass he celebrated Sunday, Sept. 21, at St. Agatha Church in Miami, the prelate was apparently referring to the dictatorships of presidents Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba, and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, the latter accused by the U.S. government of leading the drug-trafficking Cartel de los Soles.
Báez noted that one day, "all of us, without exception, will leave this world, and God will ask us to account for how we have used the wealth" and gifts he has given us. As an example of how these gifts are misused, the prelate pointed to "the dictatorships in some of our countries, dictators who act in the dark and without any moral scruples to enrich themselves at any cost."
"Let's not forget that the root of Latin America's main problems are not of a political but of a moral nature," he stated.
Báez said that "most of the ills of our people come from the excessive ambition for wealth, from the elites who keep a tight rein on power, because they worship money, regardless of whether they have to sacrifice human beings or the entire population along with their dignity, their freedoms, and their future."
"This is the real problem of dictatorships, cartels, and the decadent societies of Latin America: the idol of money," he denounced.
"These unscrupulous and immoral people enrich themselves through blatant acts of corruption, accumulating ever more money for themselves, their families, and their entourage," the prelate continued.
"They openly and illegally confiscate land and property. They maintain control by repression and even illegally grant concessions to foreign powers for the extraction of the country's natural resources, impoverishing their people and endangering national sovereignty. These immoral and evil people go on plotting day and night."
You cannot serve both God and money
"Those of us who dream of new societies in which the great ideals of freedom, justice, peace, and the defense of human rights shine forth must remember what Jesus tells us today in the final sentence of the Gospel: You cannot serve both God and money," continued the auxiliary bishop of Managua, who has been in exile since 2019.
"The great evil of this world is the idolatry of money, which takes the place of God and demands human beings as a sacrifice," he emphasized.
After noting that "we must use money for the common good, not serve it as if it were a god," the bishop emphasized that "instead of ambition and corruption, let us clothe ourselves with evangelical wisdom, creating with wealth networks of solidarity to help the poorest and mutual collaboration to commit ourselves together in the struggle for social change."
The Gospel of the day, the prelate emphasized, "invites us not to deify money and to act with intelligence and spiritual wisdom."
Who is Bishop Silvio Báez?
Silvio José Báez Ortega has been auxiliary bishop of Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, since late May 2009. He is 67 years old.
On April 23, 2019, having been one of the most vocal critics of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua, Báez left his homeland due to persecution from the regime. He has been in exile for over six years.
On Aug. 23, Báez and two other Nicaraguan bishops were received in audience at the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV, who confirmed him as auxiliary bishop of Managua.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
