After praying the Angelus this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis expressed his “concern” for Venezuela, “which is experiencing a critical situation.”
“I sincerely call on all parties to seek the truth, to exercise moderation, to avoid any type of violence, to resolve conflicts with dialogue, to have the true good of the population at heart and not partisan interests.” ”said the Pope.
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The Holy Father then entrusted Venezuela “to the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, so loved and venerated by Venezuelans, and to the prayer of Blessed José Gregorio Hernández, whose figure unites us all.”
The political and social crisis in Venezuela has intensified after the presidential elections of July 28, in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Nicolás Maduro as the winner, who has governed the country since 2013 as successor to Hugo Chávez, who ruled the nation since 1999.
The opposition, led by María Corina Machado, has denounced electoral fraud, and has posted online the minutes that would prove that Edmundo González, the opposition candidate, defeated Maduro by more than double the votes.
Clashes have broken out in the streets, leaving people dead, injured and detained. The Venezuelan bishops have expressed themselves in this regard, condemning violence “no matter where it comes from”, and asking the authorities “especially the police and military forces, to fulfill their mission of guaranteeing public order, in accordance with the provisions of the laws, avoiding any possible abuse.” .
The Catholic Church in various countries has expressed its closeness to the crisis that Venezuelans are experiencing.
Father Eusebio Hernández Greco, chaplain of the Venezuelan migrants of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires (Argentina), on behalf of the archbishop, Mons. Jorge García Cuerva, assured “our solidarity, our fraternal affection and our prayer for each of you,” and encouraged Argentines that “when we meet any of our Venezuelan brothers, we convey to them this hug, that hug that we have given them since the day they arrived.” to our communities.”
The Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) summoned for today, July 4, to a day of prayer for Venezuela and Colombia, “so that around prayer we strengthen the ties of fraternity and encourage efforts and actions that favor the solution of its worrying social and political context.”
The bishops expressed their confidence that God will help “to overcome the resurgence of violence due to the internal Colombian conflict and the uncertainty regarding the Venezuelan electoral process.”
The Conference of the Mexican Episcopate (CEM) invited to all Catholics in the country to join that day of prayer, and expressed his “fraternal solidarity with the people of Venezuela in these moments of great importance.”
“We reaffirm the importance of democracy as an expression of the participation of citizens in the construction of the common good,” said the Mexican bishops, asking that “any difference or controversy be resolved through peaceful and institutional means, always respecting the dignity of each person.” and seeking the common good of every nation.”
During a recent session of the Organization of American States (OAS), the permanent observer of the Holy See in the international organization, Mons. Juan Antonio Cruz, expressed: “The Holy See joins what has been expressed by the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference in its statement, in which the democratic vocation of the Venezuelan people is confirmed, demonstrated in the massive, active and civic participation of all Venezuelans in the electoral process.”
The instability, poverty and violence that Venezuela suffers during the prolonged Chavista regime has led to an intensification of the migration crisis in the country since 2015. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), “more than 7.7 million people have left Venezuela seeking protection and a better life.” Most of these, he adds, “more than 6.5 million people,” have arrived in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
David Ramos
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working at ACI Prensa, I have been based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered Pope Francis’ trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.