Honduras cardinal: Chavez planned my kidnapping

July 18, 2011

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez once plotted to kidnap Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, the cardinal revealed to a truth-and-reconciliation commission in his own country.

The Honduran cardinal reported that Chavez was outraged by his support for a coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya, a Chavez ally, in 2009. Today, Cardinal Rodriguez says that he has not regrets about his role: conditions in Honduras have improved, he says, and he is now praying for Chavez, who is suffering from cancer.

In an interview with Vatican Insider, the Honduran cardinal—whose name is often mentioned among the possible candidates for the papacy—acknowledged that his life has been threatened, but indicated that he is not worried about his own security. He said:

My bulletproof jacket? It's the crucifix on my chest. While the Rosary is my loaded pistol, containing 50 shots.

 

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Further information:

• "Chavez wanted to have me kidnapped, now I pray for his recovery" (Vatican Insider)