President Hugo Chávez's announcement that his government will review the agreements executed with the Holy See and the recall by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Venezuelan Ambassador to the Vatican Iván Rincón Urdaneta in reply to the criticism made by the Episcopate of the government have raised the alarm in Venezuela. Many fear that severing ties will be the next step of the Head of State.Nevertheless, priest and expert in canonic right Miguel Acevedo expects it to be just "an outlandish, far-way idea" of some of the officials close to the Head of State. Previously, though, he warned that such a scenario would "result in tremendous loss of prestige for the State and pain and suffering for Venezuelan Catholics."
The Holy See, the top institution of the Catholic Church, keeps relations with 175 countries, more than the United States.
Only the countries under totalitarian regimes, such as China, North Korea, Vietnam, or Islamic nations, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan have no diplomatic ties with the Pope.
Acevedo said that in the event of breaking relations, the Catholic Church would continue working in the country. However, he admitted potential inconveniences.
In accordance with an agreement delivered in 1964, the Executive Office should facilitate the arrangements for the entry of foreign missioners and members of religious orders.
In default of such an agreement, the Venezuelan Government does not need to make a budget allocation for certain social works fostered by the Episcopate.
However, it also would lose the right of issuing an opinion on any appointment of bishops by Pope Benedict XVI.
No violation of the agreement
In view of Acevedo, also the president of the Ecclesiastic Court, Caracas Archdiocese, the Government has all the power to revise the agreement, for considering that everything can be upgraded.
However, he does not think that the statements made by the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference could be construed as violation of the agreement, as claimed by the spokespersons of several public agencies.
Article 2 of the agreement reads: "The Venezuelan State does acknowledge free exercise of the right of the Catholic Church to enact bulls, brief, statutes, decrees, encyclical and pastoral letters under its competent jurisdiction and for its own purposes."
Does this rule allow prelates to take a stance on the country's matters? Acevedo is positive of it.
"Pastoral actions cannot be construed as spiritual in a narrow sense. Man is not only spirit, but also flesh. What better evidence like Jesus Christ, who incarnated? Pope Paul VI also said that a religion without a world or a world without a religion cannot be sought; therefore, the Church ought to take a stance on matters related to worldly realities where human dignity is at stake."
SIC: ElUn