So when you see the pope, priest, and people kneeling in front of those statues and praying to them do you see worship or veneration? Additionally whey you venerate someone does it include the actions and attitudes shown by Catholics to those statues.
It doesn’t matter what they do. We hold them to the meaning of the word ‘venerate’.
Let’s say you verate — deeply respect — your old high school algebra teacher. Do you kneel before her with your face on the ground?
If she is in a hospital bed, I might just kneel to get closer to hear, but I’m not real sure of any value in my face to the ground.
That doesn’t strike me as the meaning of the word ‘venerate’. Words have meanings. Hold people to them.