"the rats bury their rat" Venezuelan Cardinal Buried Amid Security

yahoo.comnews ^ | July 10, 2003 | FABIOLA SANCHEZ, AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS, Venezuela - Hundreds of Venezuelans on Wednesday withstood heavy rain and protesters to follow the funeral procession of Cardinal Ignacio Velasco, a government critic whose wake two days ago was marred by violence.

The cardinal was buried in the Cathedral of Caracas with military honors. About 30 soldiers in dress uniform lifted their rifles as priests and parishioners carried Velasco's casket outside the cathedral, circled around a plaza and returned to bury him inside.

Velasco died early Monday after a long battle with cancer. He was 74.

Several hundred National Guardsmen formed a line to keep back dozens of President Hugo Chavez's supporters, who shouted "the rats bury their rat" in one corner of the plaza.

On Monday, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse rock-throwing protesters trying to disrupt the wake. Police acted after a fire cracker exploded inside the cathedral, shocking hundreds of people paying their last respects.

Chavez's government declared the country in three days of mourning, and Foreign Minister Roy Chaderton and Interior Minister Lucas Rincon attended the service.

Velasco's funeral and wake underscored the stormy relationship between Chavez's government and Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church - and the country's political crisis pitting the leftist president against traditional political parties and business leaders.

Velasco often spoke out against Chavez, who once called the church a "tumor" and priests "devils under their cassocks."

Shortly after his 2001 appointment as cardinal, Velasco warned that Chavez risked losing the public's faith if he did not improve relations with the church in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Velasco also was accused of supporting an April 2002 coup attempt against Chavez, though he visited the president while he was in custody and later urged Venezuelans to heed Chavez's call for reconciliation.

Speaking at the service, Venezuelan Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara accused the government of not doing enough to prevent Monday's skirmishes.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

July 11, 2003 Venezuelan Church Defends Political Role *** CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's Roman Catholic Church on Thursday defended its aggressive role in national politics and accused supporters of President Hugo Chavez of plotting to create divisions within the church and discredit its leaders. Church leaders "cannot be spectators" in Venezuela's political crisis, said Monsignor Baltazar Porras, president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference. "This is an issue that concerns the entire society, not just politicians." ***

August 1, 2001 Venezuela Catholics Condemn Church Bomb Incidents *** Earlier this year, Venezuela's Catholic bishops chided the left-leaning paratrooper-turned-president for failing to deliver promised solutions to poverty and crime. They also questioned whether his personal, populist style of rule was fully democratic.***

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

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[wideawake]

Velasco often spoke out against Chavez, who once called the church a "tumor" and priests "devils under their cassocks."

I'm surprised there isn't a large pro-Chavez cheering section here at FR.

[Pyro7480]

Funny but not funny ;-)

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