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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