(OSV News) – The Catholic bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean have expressed their pastoral closeness to the people of Venezuela, following a Jan. 3 U.S. military intervention that saw the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and the announcement of a temporary takeover of the country before Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
In a letter signed by its leadership, the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council, known as CELAM, shared what they called a “simple, fraternal and hopeful” message marking the Epiphany of the Lord – an event that reveals “a God who is close to his people, who walks with them, illuminates the darkness, and opens new paths even when everything seems uncertain.”
In their letter, dated Jan. 5, the CELAM bishops said they “share and embrace with a profound pastoral sense the words of Pope Leo XIV, who spoke about the situation in Venezuela and reminded us that the good of the people must always be above any other consideration.”
Following his public Jan. 4 Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo said he was “following the developments in Venezuela” with “deep concern.”
The pope had stressed that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,” calling for “the overcoming of violence” and “the pursuit of paths of justice and peace,” while ensuring Venezuela’s sovereignty, constitutional rule of law, and safeguarding of human and civil rights.
Pope Leo also urged “special attention to the poorest who are suffering because of the difficult economic situation,” while invoking the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, patroness of Venezuela, and St. José Gregorio Hernández and St. Carmen Rendiles, the nation’s first two saints, whom the pope canonized in October.
The CELAM bishops said that Pope Leo’s “call is clear and hopeful: to overcome all situations of violence, to respect the dignity of every person, to care for the poorest, and to embark on paths of justice and peace, built on dialogue and truth.
“From this conviction, we want to reiterate that you are not alone,” said the bishops in their letter. “CELAM walks with you and with the Venezuelan people, encouraging every effort to build bridges, heal wounds, and advance reconciliation, without excluding anyone. The Church is called to be an open house, a space for encounter, and a serene voice that inspires hope, even in the midst of difficulties.”
The bishops added, “We firmly believe that walking together, listening to each other with respect, and seeking the common good is the path that the Lord proposes to us today.”
Such a path leads to God himself, they added.
“Wherever there is truth, justice, mercy, and care for the most vulnerable, God manifests himself again, as in Bethlehem,” said the bishops.
“We entrust this time and this journey to the loving intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto, Mother of the Venezuelan people, and to the luminous witness of St. José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles, so that they may accompany the Church and the entire Venezuelan nation in building a future of peace, dignity, and hope,” the bishops said.
(Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News.)
