The curious Vatican diplomacy in Venezuela

Crux, 24 June 2017

Pope Francis has not mentioned Venezuela since an extraordinary meeting with the nation’s bishops on June 8. Is this silence a sign the Vatican’s diplomatic efforts have been counterproductive in solving the country’s current political crisis?

Venezuela, one of the most curious recent cases in Vatican diplomacy, continues to grow more curious still. The visit two weeks ago to Rome of the leading bishops of Venezuela may well have been unprecedented, a highly public visit aimed at, apparently, clarifying that the pope was on their side, and not that of Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

The address of Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy See’s representative at the United Nations, on Tuesday at a meeting of the Organization of American States in Mexico, reiterated the need for free elections in Venezuela, presumably so that the people can throw out Maduro’s regime, which is literally starving its people.

Newman House ManagerJune 24, 2017Crux, Church Affairs, Venezuela