Posted on 05/19/2017 8:19:06 AM PDT by ebb tide
As Venezuela burns, many Latin Americans ask: Where is Pope Francis? The headline on a Catholic World Report essay by Samuel Gregg more or less speaks for itself. And Sando Magister of LEspresso raised essentially the same question a week ago.
The Catholic bishops of Venezuela have been relentless in their criticism of the government led by President Nicolas Maduro. That government has led the country into a disastrous economic collapse, characterized by raging hyperinflation and severe shortages of food and medicine. Then, rather than acceding to popular demands for new elections, the Maduro regime (through the presidents allies on the countrys highest court) has suspended the nations parliament, effectively silencing political opponents. When that move prompted massive public demonstrations, the Maduro government sent troops to break up the protestsnot gently. The death toll is rising, thousands of families are going hungry, and the regime is refusing to budge. The Venezuelan bishops have warned that their country is becoming a totalitarian, militarist, violence, oppressive, police-state system.
But from Romewhere Pope Francis last year accepted a plea for Vatican mediation in the countrys political crisisthe few public statements on the Venezuelan situation have been remarkably placid, betraying no sense of urgency about the developments there. In April, Pope Francis told reporters that he was still hoping that dialogue would resolve the problems in Venezuela, but part of the opposition does not want this. He did not mention the governments responsibility for the breakdown in talks. In a letter to the Venezuelan bishops the Pope sounded the same forlorn hope: I am convinced that the serious problems of Venezuela can be solved if there is the will to build bridges, if you want to talk seriously and adhere to agreements reached.
Meanwhile Maduro is acting the demagogue, doing his best to whip up public sentiment against the bishops, blaming them for the countrys unrest. Gangs of his supporters have threatened bishops, vandalized cathedrals, intimidated priests. Perversely, Maduro has used the Popes public statements against his own countrys bishops, claiming that the prelates are out of touch with Rome.
On the subject of unrest in Venezuela, Gregg notes in his Catholic World Report analysis, the Pontiffs reluctance to take a strong stand may have been influenced by his own political preferences. Its very hard for the pope to blame Venezuelas problems on the tyranny of Mammon, financial speculation, free trade agreements, arms-dealers, nefarious neoliberals, or any of his usual list of suspects. Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, have styled themselves as leaders of popular movements, of the sort Francis had championed. In their fiery rhetoric the Venezuelan leaders insisted that they were working for the welfare of the people against the entrenched power of elitesagain matching the Popes calls for radical social change. Gregg remarked:
Put another way: if Pope Francis was to criticize the Maduro regimes populist roots, ideology and rhetoric, it would call into question the wisdom of seeing Latin American populism as an essentially positive force. That may be a step which Francis is unwilling to take.
The fact is that between Pope Francis and the Venezuelan bishops, concerning the crisis that is ravaging the country, there is an abyss, writes Vatican journalist Sandro Magister. He quotes another essay in the Italian daily Il Foglio, by the political scientist Loris Zannatta:
Reality, Bergoglio repeats, is greater than ideas. And yet, seeing his silence on the social drama in Venezuela, or in the country that with Chávez had set itself up as a model of anti-liberalism by invoking the stereotypes dear to the Pope, the thought arises that he too, like many, prefers his ideas to reality.
By the way, if Pope Francis can be legitimately criticized for failing to denounce the repressive Maduro regime, the same could be said about President Trump. Venezuela is a mess, the president told reporters last month. True enough. But a quick look at a map suggests that the Venezuelan mess could have an enormous impact on the United States. The chaos in that country will inevitably spill over into neighboring lands. And its only a matter of time before Venezuelan refugees, fleeing from a country where they are starved and oppressed, begin the trek north toward the Rio Grande and beyond.
Commie first Catholic second. Weird priorities for a pope, but here we are.
Commie first Catholic second. Weird priorities for a pope, but here we are.
“And its only a matter of time before Venezuelan refugees, fleeing from a country where they are starved and oppressed, begin the trek north toward the Rio Grande and beyond.”
Only this time they won’t get through to the U.S. And once the Wall goes up, no one will.
Is the Pope Catholic?
Who would of thought the day would come when that question was no longer rhetorical.
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