Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for a peaceful solution
to the “grave crisis” in Venezuela, where economic and political chaos has left
scores dead. “I assure all of you of my prayers for each of the
countries of Latin America, and in a special way for neighboring Venezuela,”
Francis said during a prayer service in the Colombian city of Cartagena.
“I appeal for the
rejection of all violence in political life and for a solution to the current
grave crisis, which affects everyone, particularly the poorest and most
disadvantaged of society.” Venezuela’s crisis has caused food and medicine
shortages, deadly unrest and calls for President Nicolas Maduro to quit. Clashes
with security forces at anti-government protests left 125 people dead from
April to July. The Vatican tried to mediate in negotiations last year between
Venezuela’s government and opposition.
The talks broke
down with the sides accusing each other of bad faith. On Sunday, Venezuela’s center right-led
opposition was holding a vote to choose candidates for regional governorship
elections scheduled for October. The opposition MUD coalition and international
powers have accused Maduro of stifling democracy by taking over power from
state institutions. While flying over to Colombia on Wednesday, Francis issued
a telegram with “cordial greetings” to Maduro and the Venezuelan people.
He said was
“praying that all in the nation may promote paths of solidarity, justice and
concord.” Thousands of Venezuelans have
fled to Colombia to escape the crisis, authorities say. Francis met in Bogota
on Thursday with Venezuelan bishops, who warned him that priests and nuns had
faced threats in their country. They said in a statement that they “informed
him about the worsening of the crisis and the radicalization of the
government’s stance.”
The statement said
Francis “expressed his concern for the worsening of the humanitarian crisis,
which is taking the form of hunger and scarcity of medical supplies, and the
emigration of many Venezuelans.” The
Argentine pope, 80, was due to fly back to Rome on Sunday evening after touring
a deprived district of Cartagena at the end of a four-city tour of Colombia. During
his visit, he pleaded for lasting peace in Colombia as it moves towards the end
of a half-century civil war.
AFP, channels
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