Nicolás Maduro has invited Cardinal Pietro Parolin to be one of the mediators during the talks he will be holding with opposition leaders which begin tomorrow in an effort to stem the violence that has overtaken the country. Cardinal Parolin is Pope Francis' second in command and the secretary of state of the Vatican. Maduro and members of the Venezuealan opposition met for over three hours in a round table discussion about the political crisis that has claimed 39 lives, hundreds of wounded and caused damages acrsoss the capital.
"We wish to extend the invitation of Presidente Nicolás Maduro with the hope that Cardinal Parolin will participate in the processes of dialog between representatives of the Venezuelan government and the Venezuelan opposition, with his presence as a sign of good faith," came the statement from the Venezuelan government. Parolin was named Secretary of Stae of the Holy See in August 2013 after working in the Vatican since 2009. The Vatican told Reuters that they would be willing to mediate the dialog but wouldn't reveal more details.
The coalition of the opposition, Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD), said on Tuesday that the the representative of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Aldo Giordano, would be one of the mediators in the round-table conversations along with three chancellors from the regional group of South American countries, Unasur. Both representatives from the Vatican are Italian, despite the fact that the Pope himself is Latin American. The Vatican has found success mediating in the past, aiding a reconciliation betweeen Chile and Argentina in 1978.
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