Pope Francis has weighed in on the protests in Venezuela, calling for "hostilities and violence to cease immediately" as the South American country plunges into ever-greater turmoil. "I have been following the events that have been ongoing in recent days in Venezuela with particular apprehension, hopeful that hostilities and violence will cease immediately, and above all that the country of Venezuela, in spite of politicians and institutions, reaches reconciliation," said the pontiff from the Vatican.
Pope Francis has indeed shown considerable concern for Venezuela throughout his short time as pontiff. In 2013 he offered a personal audience to President Nicolas Maduro in Rome, as well as opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski. He emphasized to both of them the necessity to find a means for dialogue, a theme that he did not avoid in his traditional Wednesday speech, asking for both sides of the conflict to find " a sincere dialogue so that justice can confront concrete themes for the common good."
In Venezuela's political corridors, suggestions have emerged that the Catholic Church could adopt a mediating role in Venezuela and stop the escalating violence ongoing in the nation's capital. Protests in Venezuela emerged on the 12 of February and have steadily escalated ever since. Calling for an end to what is know being seen as an autocratic rule by President Maduro, the protests have resulted in 12 deaths and over 800 people arrested.
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