Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - Venezuela continues to be in one of the worst economic and social crises in history. Currently, 82% of Venezuelans live in poverty and 53% in extreme poverty. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in the second half of the last decade 7.7 million Venezuelans left the country due to poverty, inequality and political repression, out of a total population of 28 million.
In this dramatic context, the Bishops appeal to everyone, a week after President Nicolas Maduro took office, to "put the common good above particular or party interests, to resist the temptation to remain indifferent to national events and persecution for political reasons" so that "each of us contributes, according to our abilities and responsibilities, to provide answers to the difficult situation we are experiencing today". The bishops want to work for "the land, the person, truth, justice, the rule of law, freedom and peace" during the Holy Year.
At the beginning of this Holy Year, the bishops reaffirmed their commitment "to accompany the Venezuelan people in their joys and sufferings and to contribute, through daily evangelizing actions, to ensuring respect for human dignity in this country."
Thirteen countries of the Organization of American States (OAS), meanwhile, have rejected the inauguration of Maduro as President of Venezuela due to a lack of democratic legitimacy. The Venezuelan president, who has been in power since 2013 and is in office for another six years, took office on January 10, 2025. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 17/1/2025)
