Holy See–Venezuela relations are foreign relations between the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Both countries established

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

in 1869. The Holy See has a nunciature in Caracas. Venezuela has an embassy in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Relations under the Chávez and Maduro presidencies

There have been tensions with the Vatican under the presidency of Hugo Chávez, a president who while being Catholic is ideologically influenced by

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

and

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

, political thinkers that have historically been opposed to the influence of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Chávez has also been known to cite proponents of

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". I ...

such as

Leonardo Boff Leonardo Boff (, born 14 December 1938), born as Genézio Darci Boff (), is a Brazilian theologian, philosopher writer, and former Catholic priest known for his active support for Latin American liberation theology. He currently serves as Prof ...

, whose ideas Rome had opposed in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2009, pro-government colectivos tear-gassed the Holy See's envoy after Chávez accused the Roman Catholic Church of interfering with his government. Relations between the Vatican and Nicolás Maduro, Chávez's successor, have also remained tense, with the Venezuelan leader sharply critiquing, among others, a letter sent by the Vatican to foreign businesses. While Cardinal

Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo (; born 10 October 1944) is a Venezuelan prelate of the Catholic Church, who was named Metropolitan Archbishop of Caracas in 2023 after serving as apostolic administrator there for four and a half years. He was au ...

did raise the possibility in June 2021 that the Holy See mediate between the two sides in the Venezuelan political crisis, such mediation has not yet taken place, as of late 2023.

References

External links

Venezuela (Nunciature)Pope tells Chavez of Venezuelan concerns
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy See-Venezuela relations

Bilateral relations of Venezuela

Relations under the Chávez and Maduro presidencies

See also

References

External links