From our Bureau of Troublesome Priests with some assistance from our Annals of Papa Che Bureau
After Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s election, Pope Francis issued one of his vague messages calling for both sides to “seek the truth”. But Venezuela’s two Cardinals have taken a much stronger and more courageous stance, challenging the legitimacy of Maduro’s dictatorship, declaring “we cannot be neutral.”
From Catholic Review:
Pope Francis has called for both sides to “seek the truth” in Venezuela’s contested election as the opposition denounces electoral fraud — publishing tally sheets as proof — while the ruling Chavista regime refuses to release the full information on the vote and cracks down on demonstrations.
During his Angelus address Aug. 4, Pope Francis said, “I make a heartfelt appeal to all parties to seek the truth, to exercise restraint, to avoid any kind of violence, to settle disputes through dialogue, to have at heart the true good of the people and not partisan interests.”
Venezuela’s two most senior clergy, meanwhile, warned that harassment of priests from pro-government politicians has the country following in the footsteps of Nicaragua, where democracy has disappeared and the church is persecuted.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras, retired archbishop of Caracas, and Cardinal Diego Padrón, retired archbishop of Cumaná, also wrote in a three-page statement that the government has failed to “build bridges” with the opposition and remains trapped in the idea of a “‘coup d’etat’ constructed ad hoc,” rather than releasing the complete results of the July 28 election — a move demanded by the opposition and counties recognizing the opposition victory, including the United States.
“The reaction of the Venezuelan government has been, until now, to flatly deny the opposition victory … without showing evidence, which are the voting records,” Cardinals Porras and Padrón said in the Aug. 1 statement.
“The government, instead of building bridges with the opposition … has widened the abyss in front of it, considering enemies all those who do not approve of its behavior. And it has decided to annihilate (opponents) with repression, prison, violence and death,” the statement said.
Continue reading HERE
Bergoglio, under pressure to say something because he’s from the region, has taken the easiest and safest route: recycling his habitual calls for “dialogue–which has proved useless for the simple reason that does NOT work with a leftist dictatorship. Presumably he knows that, unless he’s stupid or too senile to see it.