Venezuela’s Chávez receives Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
July 15, 2011
Hugo Chávez, who has clashed with Venezuela’s hierarchy since becoming the nation’s president in 1999, received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick during a July 5 Mass. The socialist leader is battling cancer.
“Regardless of what the sickness is, it must be seen with the eyes of faith as a moment of purification,” said Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez, who anointed the president. “The sick person takes advantage of the suffering to purify himself, always according to life, to the fullness of life.”
“This is what we pray for the president and for all those who are sick, that they may take advantage of that moment and remember that it is a moment of purification,” he added.
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Posted by: DrJazz -
Jul. 15, 2011 10:24 AM ET USA
It's good that he received the sacrament. However, two questions remain: 1. Did he go to confession first? If he was well enough to attend Mass, he was supposed to go to confession; 2. Will this anointing bear fruit in any kind of interior reform and exterior actions? HIs actions in the coming weeks and months will tell much. If he remains a socialist who oppresses the Church and his own people, then he's only kidding himself.
