Bishops offer ‘message of hope’ to Venezuela with prayers for prisoners

More than 430 political prisoners have been released since a government announcement on 8 January, apparently in response to US pressure, but hundreds more remain incarcerated.

The US invasion of Venezuela in January has “been interpreted” as a breach of international law yet “many consider” it will take the nation towards democracy, the Venezuelan bishops said.

In a pastoral exhortation titled “Then your light will break forth like the Dawn” (Isaiah 58:8), the Bishops’ Conference of Venezuela said it wanted to convey a “message of hope” in response to the fears caused by social, political and financial instability, “especially” since the United States attacked the country on 3 January.

US forces conducted airstrikes on Caracas and other regions and seized President Nicolás Maduro, taking him and his wife to face trial in New York.

“Our reflections are enlightened by the Gospel passage where the Lord is in a boat with his disciples, calming the storm (Matthew 8:23),” the bishops said in their first detailed statement since the US attack. “Jesus is always with his people,” the statement said in bold italic font, “giving us the certainty that we are not alone.”

They said widespread poverty was typical of the life of Venezuelans in recent years, as was widespread corruption that went unpunished and violations of human rights, including freedom of expression and the legal right to due process, including self-defence.

The bishops expressed “closeness to and solidarity with the millions of people who have had to emigrate, which has led to family breakdown”, and also with victims of ill-treatment and human trafficking as well as the many Venezuelans who lack the income for their basic needs, and the sick who cannot access medication.

The bishops said the Church was “renewing” its commitment to fostering the common good, especially for the poorest and most needy. They described overcoming the poverty now afflicting most of Venezuela’s populace as “a key part” of the path to the future.

They said the example of Venezuela’s recently canonised saints Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles inspired this “commitment”. They appealed for the re-building of democratic institutions in Venezuela, and the return of independence to public authorities, including a Supreme Tribunal of Justice and a National Electoral Council able to “guarantee free and fair elections”.

“All Venezuelans should take part in this process – those here and those abroad, in a climate of mutual respect, regardless of ideology,” the bishops said.

Since Maduro’s abduction, the Trump administration has been negotiating with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, formerly the vice-president. US companies have begun regenerating Venezuela’s oil industry. 

The bishops said it was “imperative” that any financial “resources” from Venezuelan oil should be used for raising salaries and “implementing social aid programmes”, not devised with partisan interests but to foster initiatives that secure jobs and decent wages that cover people’s basic needs.

The bishops also expressed “solidarity” with the Venezuela’s political prisoners. According to the NGO Foro Penal more than 430 have been released since the government announced it would free prisoners on 8 January, apparently in response to US pressure. Hundreds more remain incarcerated.

Demanding respect for human rights, the bishops said that one of the “greatest desires” of Venezuelans was to know they share a common destiny, living in peace and freedom. To do this, they continued, it is vital to “avoid violence” and flee from “lies, hatred, rancour, revenge and wars of words”.

It was a matter of “urgency” for Venezuelans to become “channels of peace”, the bishops said, describing the 2026 Franciscan Jubilee as “a good opportunity for initiating a journey of education for peace, which implies non-violence and reconciliation”.

Their exhortation also acknowledged that the “sovereignty of the people” – a right recognised by Venezuela’s constitution – had been ignored when there had been a failure to publish the detailed results of votes in the presidential elections in July 2024.

The opposition candidate Edmundo González is widely acknowledged to have won the election, but Maduro claimed victory and clung to power until he was kidnapped in January.

The bishops urged Venezuelans to pray daily to find “light and strength” on the crossroads facing the country today.

“We are encouraging initiatives during Lent such as prayerful reading of the Word, days of Eucharistic Adoration, the Stations of the Cross, and Conversations in the Spirit,” they said. The bishops are to launch a Lent campaign titled “Sharing”, with the motto “Heal the Wound, Embrace Life”.

“We commit to making our dioceses parishes, communities and institutions spaces for encounter, listening and accompaniment that produce clear and credible signs of fraternity and reconciliation,” the appeal continued. “May every individual find in each single member of our communities consolation, the healing of wounds, forgiveness and mercy.”

The bishops cited Pope Leo’s words at the Angelus on 4 January, where he said: “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over any other consideration.”

While the pastoral exhortation was the first detailed statement from the Venezuelan Church since the US attack, some senior prelates have directly challenged the regime.

On 7 February the former Archbishop of Caracas Cardinal Baltazar Porras – a week after the authorities restored his passport which they confiscated in December – called on Catholics to gather outside prisons to pray for political prisoners and to support their families.

Venezuelan clergy abroad have also responded to the instability, but many remain fearful of the reprisals by Maduro supporters. In nearby Trinidad and Tobago, two priests spoke to The Tablet but asked not to be identified by their real names.

“Can you imagine that there are men on the streets who will stop you and check your cell phone whether you have anything attacking the government?” said Fr Márquez, referring to reports of increasingly oppressive security measures Venezuela.

Fr Márquez has worked in Trinidad since 2005, but his home country is visible from the fishing community of Icacos on Trinidad’s southwestern peninsula. At the closest point, the island is 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) from the Venezuelan coast.

“Generally speaking, I think people wanted Maduro out,” he said, describing years of social decline after the death of Hugo Chávez. “That doesn’t mean that we agree with the way it was done by the US government, but whatever happened, the outcome was welcomed.”

Fr José, meanwhile, said that despite international opposition to the US exploitation of oil reserves many Venezuelans did not object.

“From the beginning, we never knew what was happening with the petroleum in Venezuela. Salaries don’t even reach US$5 a month,” he said, adding that his family in the country reported improving conditions since the first US-backed sales.

Fr Márquez said his family echoed this sentiment, and one nephew recently told him: “Things are moving fast in the sense of more stability.” Nevertheless, he warned that progress would take time.

“Keep in mind that you can’t change a regime overnight. They have been in power for 26 years. You have to do it gradually. It will not be safe for Maria Corina Machado who won the elections last year. We want a peaceful transition so that the institutions in Venezuela could work like the legal system, and especially in the area of health.”

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