Government blamed for economic crisis

The Venezuelan bishops have rounded on the Government of President Nicolas Maduro, blaming it for the serious economic and social crisis in the country, writes Isabel de Bertodano.

In a witheringly critical analysis of government policy, the bishops said corruption was rife, the treasury had been looted and any measures employed to relieve the suffering of Venezuelans have proved inefficient.

“The main problem and the cause of this crisis … is the decision by the Government and other public institutions to impose a political and economic system of social Marxism or Communism,” said the bishops in a pastoral exhortation published last week. “It is the wrong route to take.”