Father Frutos Valle, administrator of the Diocese of Estelí: more than two years held in a seminary
On July 26, 2024, hours after police banned the ordination of three deacons, Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón was taken to Managua. He has been confined in the National Seminary ever since and is not allowed to leave. USCIRF still lists him as not released.
Who he is
Father Frutos Constantino Valle Salmerón has been a priest for 52 years. On January 11, 2023, the Dicastery for Bishops appointed him administrator "ad omnia" of the Diocese of Estelí, in the forced absence of Bishop Rolando Álvarez, bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí. The post gave him almost all the powers of a bishop; the only thing he could not do was ordain priests. (Sources: Confidencial, July 27, 2024; Artículo 66, July 26, 2026)
Dr. Martha Patricia Molina describes him as a key figure in the diocese and a co-founder of the Delegates of the Word in Estelí. (Source: Artículo 66, July 26, 2026)
What happened on July 26, 2024
That Friday, police officers told him that the priestly ordination of three deacons planned for Saturday, July 27, "was not authorized." Hours later they took him away. According to witnesses quoted by the press, the transfer came with an interrogation and accusations, even though the priest had not been confrontational with the regime. (Sources: Confidencial, July 27, 2024; EWTN News, July 30, 2024; Artículo 66, July 26, 2026)
He was sent to a formation house in Managua and watched so that he cannot leave, what the press called "seminary as prison." With him gone, the Diocese of Estelí was once again left without a religious authority in its territory. (Sources: Confidencial, July 27, 2024; EWTN News, July 30, 2024)
Where he is today
On the second anniversary, July 26, 2026, Artículo 66 reported that he remains confined in the Our Lady of Fatima National Interdiocesan Seminary in Managua, with no way to leave. The USCIRF victims database still lists him as not released. (Sources: Artículo 66, July 26, 2026; USCIRF)
According to Dr. Molina, the Diocese of Estelí is banned from ordaining priests and now works with 42% of its clergy, under constant surveillance. Its bishop emeritus, Bishop Abelardo Mata, was also detained on June 29, 2026. (Source: Artículo 66, July 26, 2026)
Sources: Confidencial, 27 de julio de 2024 · EWTN News, 30 de julio de 2024 · Artículo 66, 26 de julio de 2026 · USCIRF, base de datos de víctimas