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Holy See–Venezuela relations

Holy See	Venezuela

Holy See–Venezuela relations are foreign relations between theHoly See andVenezuela. Both countries establisheddiplomatic relations in 1869. The Holy See has anunciature inCaracas. Venezuela has an embassy inRome.

There have been tensions with the Vatican under the presidency ofHugo Chávez, a president who while being Catholic is ideologically influenced byKarl Marx andVladimir Lenin, political thinkers that have historically been opposed to the influence of theRoman Catholic Church. Chávez has also been known to cite proponents ofliberation theology such asLeonardo Boff,^[1] whose ideas Rome had opposed in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 2009, pro-government colectivos tear-gassed the Holy See's envoy after Chávez accused the Roman Catholic Church of interfering with his government.^[2][3]

Relations between the Vatican andNicolás Maduro, Chávez's successor, have also remained tense, with the Venezuelan leader sharply critiquing, among others, a letter sent by the Vatican to foreign businesses.^[4] While CardinalBaltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo did raise the possibility in June 2021 that the Holy See mediate between the two sides in theVenezuelan political crisis,^[4] such mediation has not yet taken place, as of late 2023.

• Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela

• Venezuela (Nunciature)
• Pope tells Chavez of Venezuelan concerns

• Holy See–Venezuela relations
• Bilateral relations of the Holy See
• Bilateral relations of Venezuela

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