Posted on 01/25/2006 10:34:34 AM PST by Pyro7480
Venezuela nearing Marxist dictatorship, cardinal says
Jan. 16 (CNA/CWNews.com) - In one his harshest criticisms to date of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cardinal Rosalio Castillo Lara accused that country’s government of having “lost its way” and of showing “signs of dictatorship.”
The retired Salesian cardinal presided at the traditional procession of the Divine Shepherdess—a popular Marian devotion that draws millions of people every year—through the downtown streets of Barquisimeto. Although he focused most of his homily on Marian devotion and the Catholic roots of Venezuela, Cardinal Lara launched his criticism of the Chavez regime at the end of his remarks. “On this solemn occasion I ask that we all together fervently pray to the Divine Shepherdess to save Venezuela,” the cardinal said. “We are facing an extremely grave situation like few others in our history.”
"A government democratically elected seven years ago has lost its democratic way and shows signs of dictatorship, where all powers are in the hands of one person who exercises them in an arbitrary and despotic way," Cardinal Castillo added, “not for the purposes of bringing about the greater common good of the nation, but rather for a twisted and archaic political project: that of implanting in Venezuela a disastrous regime like the one Fidel Castro has imposed on Cuba, at the cost of so many human lives and the progress of his nation.”
“The seven years of this government,” he warned, “provide abundant proof of what the future of Venezuela will be like if this regime continues in power.”
Pointing to the risks of a continuing Chavez government, Cardinal Lara noted that “dissidence, which is barely tolerated, is in many cases persecuted. Courts hand down unjust sentences in the name of the law. There are dozens of political prisoners, while common crime increases and reaps a tragic sum of 10,000 murders per year. Corruption—which they promised to radically eliminate— is spreading in the face of silence and complacent inaction by the General Comptroller of the Republic, resulting in the creation of thousands of new millionaires. At the same time, poverty is increasing, unemployment is widespread,” the cardinal stated.
Cardinal Lara also warned that “the extremely high price of oil, which would allow many problems to be solved, is being used instead to fund multi-million dollar gifts to obtain uncertain political loyalty from other nations, while in Venezuela we are painfully feeling the lack of interventions and projects to equip hospitals with what they need, to repair communication channels and city streets, to build housing and schools.”
Cardinal Lara said a future with Chavez would be “a very grave situation that could be compared to the cholera outbreak of 150 years ago that led to the miraculous intervention of the Divine Shepherdess.”
“If the Venezuelan people fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation and fail to categorically speak out in favor of democracy and freedom, we will find ourselves subjected to a Marxist-style dictatorship,” Cardinal Lara said in conclusion.
So do we have any reason to believe Mary does not accept Christ and is not among the persons we can ask to pray for us?
Cardinal Lara said a future with Chavez would be “a very grave situation that could be compared to the cholera outbreak of 150 years ago that led to the miraculous intervention of the Divine Shepherdess.”
“If the Venezuelan people fail to grasp the seriousness of the situation and fail to categorically speak out in favor of democracy and freedom, we will find ourselves subjected to a Marxist-style dictatorship,” Cardinal Lara said in conclusion.
Obviously, our Clinton's kidnapping anad handing Elian back to Castro has only refueled the Marxist potentates in South America.
We'll see how much staying power this Cardinal has when Chavez really turns up the heat. If he is as brave as I think he is then Chavez may have met his match in the Church.
"This is the soundest democracy in the hemisphere." - Chavez
Yeah, that has a familiar ring to it
"We will have the most ethical administration in American history." - Bill Clinton
Don't trivialize this serious thread with jokes about pedophile priests. It gives FReep a bad name.
I don't think pedophiles are trivial, but if you do ok.
Are you that kooky guy who's always putting up those billboards that claim that the Pope is the antichrist.
No.
Of course pedophiles aren't trivial. I never said they were. Jokes about them are. Jokes about them on a thread that's about a completely different topic make FReep look ridiculous. Indeed, discussing pedophilia at all on this thread is out of place, because the original post is unconnected to it.
Learn to read.
Thank you. I will try and learn to read. O
Wow. Brave man!
Take your ill theology elsewhere, and stop disrespecting the Mother of God.
Saint does not equal sanctified.
So thats where the spanish name Pastora comes from. Notabl so do the Spanish names Carmen, Lourdes, Macarena, Caridad, Guadalupe, Virginia, Pilar, Dolores, Fatima, etc.
How was I disrepecting Mary?
You are.
Ok I did not ask if you think I am you have made that clear... What I am asking is *HOW* am I disrepecting Mary?
bbby presuming her place vis a vis Jesus.
Im sorry can you be a bit more clear how me believing that prayer should be directed at the God Head disrespects mary?
The same line of argumentation could apply to asking friends to pray for us. God knows what we want and need before we ask for it. Prayer is for our benefit, not God's.
Regardless, the verse clearly shows the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God. So there is absolutely nothing wrong with the practice. And it is wise to ask the saints in heaven to pray for us, since we can be certain that they are fully sanctified, and the "prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
The retired Salesian cardinal presided at the traditional procession of the Divine Shepherdess—a popular Marian devotion that draws millions of people every year—through the downtown streets of Barquisimeto. Although he focused most of his homily on Marian devotion and the Catholic roots of Venezuela, Cardinal Lara launched his criticism of the Chavez regime at the end of his remarks. [emphasis added]
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