Pope Francis calls for religious freedom in Nicaragua and respect for rights in Venezuela

This January 9, Pope Francis’ audience with the Diplomatic Corps took place in the Vatican on the occasion of the traditional New Year’s greetings, in which he showed his concern about the crises that countries such as Nicaragua and Venezuela are going through.

After indicating that he still suffers from the symptoms of a cold that he has been carrying for several days, the Holy Father delivered the prepared speech to Bishop Filippo Campanelli for his reading.

At the beginning of long messagethe Pontiff cited some diplomatic progress achieved during the year 2024, such as the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China on the appointment of bishops.

Venezuela and Nicaragua, among the concerns of Pope Francis

In his speech there was no lack of special mention of Venezuela and the “serious political crisis in which it is being debated.” This, according to the Pontiff, “can be overcome only with sincere adherence to the values ​​of truth, justice and freedom, through respect for the life, dignity and rights of each person – including the of those who have been arrested due to the events of recent months—thanks to the rejection of any type of violence and, desirably, the beginning of negotiations in good faith and finalized for the common good of the country.”

Pope Francis also set his sights on the social and political crises that other South American countries are going through, such as Bolivia, Colombia and Nicaragua. Regarding the latter, he stressed that the Holy See is always willing to engage in dialogue and that it follows with concern “the measures adopted with respect to people and institutions of the Church.”

He urged that fundamental rights be guaranteed, while specifying that “there is no true peace if religious freedom is not also guaranteed, which implies respect for the conscience of individuals and the possibility of publicly manifesting one’s faith and belonging to a community.”

From the logic of confrontation to the logic of encounter

Addressing the 184 ambassadors accredited to the Holy See present at the audience, Pope Francis lamented global conflicts, specifically recalling the recent attacks perpetrated during Christmas in Magdeburg (Germany) and New Orleans (United States).

The Holy Father alluded to the “general feeling of fear and distrust towards our neighbors and towards the future” that is experienced in increasingly polarized societies, and indicated as an example of this the attempted assassination of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.

This, for the Pontiff, is aggravated by the continuous creation and dissemination of fake news, which “distort conscience” and generate a climate of suspicion and hatred that leads to drawing new borders, “where diversity is a reason for suspicion, mistrust and fear.”

Faced with this reality, Pope Francis expressed his desire that 2025, within the framework of the Jubilee of Hope, be for everyone, including non-Christians, an occasion “to overcome the logic of confrontation” and embrace “the logic of meeting”.

A diplomacy of hope for a world at war

The Holy Father specified that, in the face of the “increasing” threat of a world war, the vocation of diplomacy is “to favor dialogue with everyone, including interlocutors who are considered most ‘uncomfortable’ or who are not considered legitimate to negotiate”.

In this way, he proposed to them to carry out a “diplomacy of hope.” To achieve this, he asked them first to take care of the poorest and insisted on the need to defend the truth, threatened by modern media and artificial intelligence that pursue political and ideological ends.

He also reiterated that parents, family members and educators “must be the main channels of transmission of culture, for the benefit of which governments should limit themselves to a role of supporting their educational responsibilities.”

Ideological colonization and the “right to abortion”

Along these lines, Pope Francis warned about “ideological colonization” that, “according to programs planned on a desk, attempts to eradicate the traditions, history and religious ties of people.”

“It is a mentality that, boasting of having overcome what it considers ‘the dark pages of history’, leaves room for cancel culture; “It does not tolerate differences and concentrates on the rights of individuals, neglecting duties towards others, particularly the weakest and most fragile,” he added.

In this context, he stressed that it is unacceptable to talk about an alleged “right to abortion” that contradicts human rights, in particular the right to life.

“All life must be protected, at every moment, from conception to natural death, because no child is a mistake or guilty for existing, just as no elderly or sick person can be deprived of hope or discarded,” he stated.

A look at world conflicts

Pope Francis expressed another wish for this new year: that the entire international community strive to put an end to the war that for almost three years “has been bathing the afflicted Ukraine with blood and causing an enormous number of victims.”

He renewed his call for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, “where there is a very serious and ignoble humanitarian situation,” and also asked that the Palestinian population “receive all necessary aid.”

“My wish is that Israelis and Palestinians can rebuild bridges of dialogue and mutual trust, starting from the smallest, so that future generations can live together, in peace and security, in both states and Jerusalem is the ‘city of encounter.’ ‘, where Christians, Jews and Muslims coexist in harmony and respect,” he said.

He reiterated that “war is always a failure” and urged that children be especially protected, before recalling other conflicts such as those in Sudan, Mozambique or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He also condemned anti-Semitism and made reference to the “path of stabilization” that is beginning to be followed in Syria. He hoped that this would become “a land of peaceful coexistence where all Syrians, including its Christian component, can feel like full citizens and participate in the common good.”

The Holy Father also expressed his concern about the situation in “beloved Lebanon,” calling for institutional stability so that the war-hit south of the country can be “reconstructed and the constitution and the Taif Agreement fully implemented.”

Finally, he called for the eradication of current “multiple forms of slavery,” such as labor slavery, drug addiction or human trafficking. He also defended the dignity of migrants and expressed his desire for justice to be practiced, the death penalty to be eliminated and the sentences of prisoners to be commuted during the Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis concluded by remembering that “we have the duty to make the maximum effort to care for our common home and those who inhabit it and will inhabit it.”