Pope meets new Venezuelan leader, discusses situation after Chavez
June 17, 2013
Pope Francis met with Venezuela’s President Nicolaus Maduro Moros at the Vatican on June 17, for discussions that centered on the country’s situation after the recent death of President Hugo Chavez.
A brief Vatican statement released after the meeting indicated that the Pope had spoken with the Venezuelan leader about the struggle against poverty and the fight to curtail drug trafficking, as well as the situation in neighboring countries such as Colombia.
Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas said that he expected the Pope to urge Maduro to ease the tensions that had cropped up between the Church and the government under Chavez. The Venezuelan cardinal said that he hoped for “more calm and democratic language,” and greater respect for opposing points of view.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
- Pope Receives President of Venezuela: Fight against Poverty and Drug Trafficking (VIS)
- Venezuela's cardinal: Pope should urge coexistence (AP)
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
