In a statement released on April 17, the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela, where tension remains high after violent post-election clashes caused at least eight deaths, urged “political and social leaders not to use offensive, derogatory and inflammatory language” and to “avoid clashes on the streets.” The bishops said, “As Christians we are supposed to be on the side of the weak; we must forgive and fight for union to prevail over division, love over hate, peace over violence.” The bishops offered to help resolve a dispute over the outcome of Venezuela’s presidential election on April 14. Vice President under the late Hugo Chávez, President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner and sworn in on April 19. His challenger, Henrique Capriles, has demanded a recount, which the National Electoral Council has agreed to conduct.
Bishops Mediate Venezuela Election
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Argentina has been in a state of economic upheaval for years with two constants—a continuous increase in poverty and corresponding efforts by the Catholic Church to respond to that need.
A surefire way to lose your congregation is to start a homily with “In today’s Gospel reading,” says Thomas Groome. “The purpose of good preaching,” he says, “is to bring our lives to God and God to our lives.” A homilist’s job, then, is to facilitate a meaningful conversation between the two.
In an interview with Norah Jones April 24 on “60 Minutes,” Pope Francis clarified that “Fiducia Supplicans” didn’t allow blessings of “the union” but of “each person.”
The pope devoted his entire Pentecost homily to describing how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of Christians with both “power and gentleness.”