Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
A demonstrator carries VenezuelaÕs flag in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 26. (CNS photo/Miguel Gutierrez, EPA)A demonstrator carries VenezuelaÕs flag in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 26. (CNS photo/Miguel Gutierrez, EPA)

As anti-government protests in Venezuela turned deadly, Pope Francis called for an end to the bloodshed.

"I make a heartfelt appeal to the government and all components of Venezuelan society to avoid any more forms of violence, to respect human rights and to seek a negotiated solution to the grave humanitarian, social, political and economic crisis," the pope said April 30 before reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer.

The country has descended into chaos after years of food shortages and economic turmoil under embattled President Nicolas Maduro's government. Despite expressing a willingness to negotiate with the opposition, he has been accused of tightening his grip on power and suppressing any threat to his rule.

Protests began after March 29, when the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled to dissolve the country's parliament, in which the opposition had a two-thirds majority following the 2015 elections. The unprecedented ruling transferred legislative powers to the Supreme Court, which is comprised of judges nominated by Maduro.

Although the Supreme Court restored parliament's authority after local and international outcry, protests against Maduro's government escalated, resulting in nearly 30 deaths as of April 29.

The pope prayed for the victims and their families and entrusted to the Virgin Mary his "prayers for peace, reconciliation and democracy to that beloved country."

Following requests by the former leaders of Spain, Panama and the Dominican Republic, a Vatican delegation led by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli tried to mediate an end to the conflict.

During a news conference with journalists on the flight to Rome on April 29 after his visit to Egypt, Pope Francis said that while "there is something moving forward," negotiations are "still very much up in the air."

"Everything that can be done for Venezuela must be done. And with the necessary guarantees. Otherwise, we are just playing 'tintin piruelo,' which leads nowhere," the pope said referencing a Latin American children's game that also means to jump from one point to another without reaching a conclusion.

"We all know the difficult situation in Venezuela, which is a country I love very much," he told reporters traveling with him.

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

Brazilian Cardinal Leonardo Steiner told America that Pope Leo would carry forward Pope Francis' legacy of synodality in the church.
Gerard O’ConnellMay 29, 2025
Like my discernment to enter religious life, it was a gut reaction I acted on and did not look back.
Rose RucobaMay 29, 2025
Pope Francis shares a laugh with Margaret Karram, president of the Focolare movement, at the end of a meeting with participants in an interreligious conference sponsored by the movement at the Vatican June 3, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Margaret Karram, president of the Rome-based Focolare movement, visited the United States to discuss current issues in peacemaking.
Connor HartiganMay 29, 2025
Nazario Gerardi plays Francis in “The Little Flowers of St. Francis” (The Criterion Collection)
We should seek to live simply, to take only what we need and share what we have, to see ourselves in kinship with all of creation.
John DoughertyMay 29, 2025