Venezuelan Catholic
Church, between Peace
and Confrontation
Venezuelan Catholic
bishops are in a
crossroads between peace
and confrontation with a
project of
constitutional reforms
presented by President
Hugo Chavez last month
and currently under
debate.
The different stances
were evident this week,
when Cardinal Jorge
Urosa and Coro Bishop
Roberto Luckert made
such different
statements that it
appeared they came from
different churches.
"The Church is the
people of God and the
people of peace, and we
bishops are peace
makers, each Christian
must be like that,"
Urosa said.
Parishioners warmly
welcomed the cardinal's
statements during the
celebration of the 20th
anniversary of his
priesthood, on September
22, but his words were
followed by a different
opinion three days
later.
Speaking on a local
radio station, Bishop
Luckert asked
Venezuelans to react
"strongly" against
Chavez's project.
"The alarms do not have
to scare only the
brother countries, but
Venezuelans who have to
wake up to the reform
project," said the
bishop, a well-known
opponent to Chavez.
Luckert's statements
were criticized by
Catholics such as
Communication and
Information Minister
William Lara, who said
the priest is trying to
tarnish the process to
approve the
constitutional reform.
"This citizen is not
talking as a
representative of the
Venezuelan Catholic
Church, but as an
opposition politician,"
pointed out Lara, who
recalled that Monsignor
Luckert "has repeatedly
adopted extreme
stances."
The minister recalled
that the bishop was one
of the most active
conspirators in the
process that led to the
coup d'etat against
Venezuelan democracy on
April 11, 2002.
When proposing the
constitutional changes,
Chavez pointed out that
they are aimed at laying
the foundations for
socialist development in
the country, as the only
way to eradicate the
poverty caused by
capitalist mechanisms.
Chavez, who is also a
practicing Catholic,
thinks the socialist
concepts of social
justice and equality are
similar to the original
principles of
Christianity, defended
by most grassroots
priests, parishioners
and many bishops.
However, it is evident
that there are two
opposed stances among
Venezuelan bishops, as a
Catholic Church is
weighing the reform and
promised to make an
assessment by October
20. |
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