Church in the World

Ex-bishop lines up with Ch?vez

Paraguay

A bishop who left his post to run for president has said he would be willing to ally himself with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Fernando Lugo, 56, is the former bishop of San Pedro in north Paraguay and leader of the opposition APC, or Alianza Patriotica para el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change) - a coalition of left-wing movements and parliamentary parties seeking to bring an end to 60 years of rule by the Partido Colorado (also known as the Asociación Nacional Republicana) in next April's presidential elections.

In an article in the Brazilian daily O Estado de São Paulo the former bishop said that if he became president his allies would be Evo Morales, the President of Bolivia, and Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, although he stressed he would retain independence and "would not import a model from anyone".

Mr Chávez has repeatedly fallen foul of Venezuela's bishops. On Sunday he described their leadership as "morally unacceptable" after they issued a strongly worded statement on Friday decrying his "authoritarian" plan to scrap limits on the length of the presidential term in office and to allow detention without charge in "emergency" situations.

Lugo had previously sought to distance himself from the Venezuelan President, but is known to be a keen supporter of liberation theology and was once known as the "red bishop" for his left-wing views.

Last week he attended an ecumenical conference of Latin American bishops and theologians in São Paulo, Brazil, which included the eminent liberation theologian Leonardo Boff, who has come into conflict with the Vatican; his brother Clodovis Boff; Bishops Emeritus Pedro Casaldáliga and Tomás Balduino; and the writer and scholar Frei Beto.

In January the Vatican suspended Bishop Lugo a divinis for having resigned last year, thereby banning him from carrying out all activities related to his episcopal duties, including administering the Sacraments. Lugo has said that he will be the candidate for the poor and has stated his objectives as fighting corruption and creating jobs.