Chavez “is not Catholic,” says Venezuelan cardinal

CNA ^ | 07.28.05

[Coleus]

Chavez “is not Catholic,” says Venezuelan cardinal

Caracas, Jul. 28, 2005 (CNA) - Cardinal Rosalio Jose Castillo Lara told reporters this week that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez “is not Catholic” and he expressed regret that Chavez has encouraged “the sowing of hatred that is bearing evil results.”

In an interview with the Italian daily La Tercera, the cardinal stated, “Chavez is not Catholic. He is whatever is convenient for him at the moment. When Chavez is with an evangelical, he is evangelical. When he visited Muammar Gaddafi he told him, ‘Allah is great.’ When he went to China, he praised Mao Tse-tung.”

“It is harmful that Venezuelans are divided, but the one behind this harm is Chavez, because since he came to power he has sowed hatred that is bearing evil results,” the cardinal said.

“Regarding the previous governments, the Church had no reason to be against them. The Bishops’ Conference has been very critical, even with Christian Democracy. What’s happening here is not that the Church is tied to the opposition, but rather there have been tortures and assassinations by the government,” Cardinal Castillo Lara noted, in response to accusations that he leads the principal opposition to the Chavez administration.

He explained that the errors of the opposition began four years ago, when the two main parties began to lose influence in recent administrations and fell into disarray. “The President took advantage of this situation in order to set himself up with a Constitution and a National Assembly in which he had the majority,” Cardinal Castillo Lara recalled.

He pointed to the need to follow article 350 of the country’s Constitution, which allows for civil disobedience, as in his judgment there is no guarantee of credibility in the next elections.

[Coleus]

Communism’s Resurgence

 

• For the past six years, President Hugo Chavez — a self-proclaimed Communist and boon companion of Fidel — has been tightening the vise of dictatorship on Venezuela, the region’s key oil-producing country (and the source of much of our imported fuel).

[GOP_1900AD]

Definitely not, or any other sort of Christian. He's a godless Communist.

[joesnuffy]

Sounds like a perfect globalist 3rd wayer Marxist Islamo fascist supporter of OBL

[Argus]

We need to start identifying our enemies by name, not by country. Iraq wasn't our enemy - Saddam was. North Korea isn't our enemy - Kim Jong Il and his clique are. Venezuela's not our enemy - Chavez is. Et cetera.

[marron]

He claims to be a "primitive Christian". Its not clear to me what he means by that, unless its to separate himself from the Catholic hierarchy, or any clear adherence to any coherent doctrine.

[MarkBsnr]

Sorta like Massachussetts is not our enemy, Kennedy is; Delaware is not our enemy, Biden is?

[Argus]

Yup.

[MaineVoter2002]

Chavez is one we need to keep our eyes on. He wants to be the next Castro. Chavez is not helping the cuban people. If anything, he delaying any democratic reform in Cuba.