CNA The Venezuelan bishops met Friday with Juan Guaidó, the national opposition leader who has declared himself interim president, in an effort to mobilize the entrance of humanitarian aid to the crisis-stricken country.
“Today, February 1, we are continuing to coordinate efforts to mobilize humanitarian aid and to assist Venezuelans. We will be allowing the entry of food and medicine,” Guaidó wrote on Twitter.
Guaidó also called upon all citizens and the Venezuelan armed forces to act in the face of the humanitarian crisis the country is going through.
Attending the meeting were the president and vice presidents of the bishops’ conference: Archbishop José Luis Azuaje Ayala of Maracaibo, Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodriguez of San Cristobal, and Bishop Raúl Biord Castillo of La Guaira. Also present was Miguel Pizzarro, a legislator in the National Assembly.
The leadership of the bishops’ conference had met Jan. 31 with the superiors of religious congregations to address the pastoral challenges of the Church in Venezuela.
Archbishop Azuaje said that one of the goals of the meeting with religious superiors was to have “a profound encounter of faith, to meet together as servants of the Venezuelan people in the religious sphere and also in the area of human development.”
He affirmed that it was “necessary to propose to all the religious communities some actions that go from the spiritual sphere to the solidarity sphere” and to achieve a joint commitment.
Also participating in the meeting were representatives from the educational field and Caritas Venezuela.
Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as president Jan. 10, after winning a contested election in which opposition candidates were barred from running or imprisoned. Venezuela’s bishops have called his new term illegitimate, and Guaidó, head of the National Assembly, declared himself interim president Jan. 23.
Guaidó has been recognized as Venezuelan president by the US, Canada, much of the European Union, and several Latin American nations.
Since Jan. 21, at least 40 people have died and hundreds have been arrested amid protests against Maduro.
Since Maduro succeeded Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela in 2013, Venezuela has been marred by violence and social upheaval. Under the socialist government, the country has seen severe shortages and hyperinflation, and millions have emigrated.
Our Comment:
Vatican consultations with Guaidó are a slap in the face to Maduro who asked for Vatican intervention, which was denied. Typically, the Vatican sides publically with the people in any crisis. The Vatican has clearly supported Guaidó largely because he supports them and is outwardly trying to help them. This crisis will only help the Vatican strengthen its hold on the emotions of the people. Maduro has already spurned Vatican recommendations, so the Vatican will not help him. Instead they will help the opposition.
Prophetic Link:
“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17:18.
Comments
Andi Qui
16 de febrero de 2019 at 00:06 12Sat, 16 Feb 2019 00:06:43 +000043.Your initial statement is misleading. Guaido did not declare himself interim president «to allow humanitarian aide into the stricken country.» We all know it’s not that benign. We also all know that the US president (whose antics you conveniently don’t report or speak about) clearly made statements (along with key members of his cabinet) that they’d like to access Venezuela resources. Oil.
admin
17 de febrero de 2019 at 15:55 03Sun, 17 Feb 2019 15:55:36 +000036.All that may be true, but that is not in the article we quoted. We are focused on the prophetic, not the political. Admin.