Pope Leo XIV stated on Sunday that 'the well-being of the Venezuelan people must prevail' over any other consideration following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by the United States. The Pope urged to guarantee sovereignty and the rule of law in the Caribbean country. 'With concern, I follow the development of the situation in Venezuela. The well-being of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over all other considerations and induce overcoming violence and taking paths of justice and peace,' he said from the window of the Apostolic Palace after the Angelus prayer. The Pope demanded 'to guarantee the country's sovereignty, ensure the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, and respect the human and civil rights of each and every one.' He also encouraged working 'to build together a serene future of collaboration, stability and concordance, with special attention to the poorest who suffer due to the difficult economic situation' in the South American country. Leo XIV called for praying for Venezuela's future and asked for the intercession of the country's patroness, the Virgin of Coromoto, and its first two saints, José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles, canonized by himself on October 19. The American pontiff, who also holds Peruvian nationality due to his years as a missionary and bishop and is a great connoisseur of Latin America, has referred to Venezuela on several occasions with the utmost caution since his election in the conclave on May 8. The last time was during the return flight from his trip to Lebanon on December 2, when he advocated for dialogue and even 'economic pressures' to favor a change in the Caribbean country, in contrast to the threats of US President Donald Trump. 'I think it is always better to seek ways of dialogue or pressure, perhaps economic pressures, but seeking another way to change, if that is what the United States wants to do,' he stated. A month earlier, on November 4 from his residence in Castel Gandolfo, he again advocated for dialogue to ease relations between the United States and Venezuela, amid Washington's operation against allegedly narco-trafficking ships in the Caribbean Sea. A position that was appreciated by Maduro himself: 'Thank you, Pope Leo, thank you very much,' the then-president responded during the congress of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. In September, shortly before the canonization of Venezuela's first two saints, opposition leader María Corina Machado asked the Pope to intercede for political prisoners in the South American country. On the other hand, the issue is followed with interest in the Holy See, which has Venezuelan Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra as the substitute or 'number two' of its Secretariat of State, headed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, until 2013 the nuncio in the South American country.
