The former Archbishop of Caracas demanded the immediate release of Venezuela’s political prisoners.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras said there were many “political prisoners, people who have been tortured, or have had to leave [Venezuela]”, adding “but we see this as something alien to us”.
He said the Church was not “exempt” from error. “Evil, mistakes and sin can exist within the Church, within each one of us as the baptised, as bishops, or cardinals or popes,” he said, during a homily in the Church of The Lord of the Annunciation in La Boyera, in the Miranda region of north Venezuela.
He challenged Catholics to act in the face of human rights abuses: “How many times do we hide behind the excuse that we have no power or capacity?”
The cardinal continued: “We all have some ability to ensure that at least in our immediate surroundings life is valued … especially when we see heart-breaking testimonies – including from the children, spouses or from the relatives of those who have been tortured or disappeared without being allowed to know where [their relatives] are nor how they are.”
Porras made the comments shortly after Mariana González, whose father Edmundo is widely acknowledged to be the rightful victor of the 2024 presidential elections, said she had been subject to a blackmail attempt in the office of the current Archbishop of Caracas Raúl Biord.
She claimed government officials had offered to release her husband Rafael Tudares from prison in exchange for her father giving up his political activities. She alleged this occurred during a meeting with government delegates co-ordinated by the archbishop.
“At no time has any ‘extortion’ or pressure been exerted in the archdiocese on the families of detainees or on anyone else,” said Archbishop Biord in a statement on 20 January.
Last year, Rafael Tudares was arrested and sentenced on charges of conspiracy to 30 years in prison last year. He was released last week. His wife claimed that government officials had also attempted to blackmail her in embassies and the offices of human rights organisations in Venezuela. On all three occasions, there were eyewitnesses, she added.
She responded to Archbishop Biord’s statement by citing John 8:32: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
According to the Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal, 266 political prisoners had been released by 26 January.