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| Population | 29 million |
|---|---|
| Religions | Christian 98% Other 2% |
| Christian Population | 28 million |
Christians and the Struggle for Religious Freedom
A vital booklet about religious freedom to inform, inspire and challenge you. Includes an explanation of what religious freedom means and examples of the challenges Christians face in our Persecuted and Forgotten? 2012 update.
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Please pray for persecuted and suffering ChristiansVenezuela - Country profile
The worsening human rights situation in Venezuela has deteriorated still further. Reports claim President Hugo Chavez’s regime is considering confiscating churches, schools and other religious buildings.
One local government official announced a scheme to confiscate Church-run schools, stating the need to protect buildings of national importance. When a new education law was introduced, Venezuelan Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino said the legislation “takes out religion” from schools, “a right which is in the constitution”. (Source: CNS, quoted on catholicreview.org 18th August 2009) Failure to comply risked the closure of the school and teachers banned from the classroom for up to 10 years.
In autumn 2009, a source close to the Venezuelan bishops told Aid to the Church in Need that elements in the government were intent on “eliminating the work of the Church,” despite most Venezuelans being at least nominally Catholic.
As President Chavez pushes ahead with his socialist agenda, the Church has increasingly angered the regime by speaking out against human rights abuses.
The 2010 US State Department International Religious Freedom Report cites abuses including unlawful killings, summary executions of criminal suspects, arbitrary arrests and detention, infringement of privacy rights and government closure of radio and television stations.
Chavez has vowed to “radicalise” his Socialist revolution even further, despite a very narrow victory for his party in September 2010’s national assembly elections. (Source: Reuters, 3rd October 2010)
Prospects for improved Church-state relations remain slim, especially after the approval of a constitutional referendum eliminating fixed terms for elected officials.
Examples of Persecution
May 2010: Pictures of weapons of war were daubed on images of Jesus Christ and Our Lady of Coromoto in Caracas. Vice President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, described the acts as “a way of sowing hatred and death” among the people.
July 2010: Cardinal Urosa issued a statement denouncing “the danger that is threatening our beloved homeland”. He accused the Chavez government of trying to install a Marxist-Socialist regime through “unconstitutional” and “illegal” methods which knowingly go against the will of the people. (Source: Zenit, 9th July 2010)
July 2010: President Chavez offended Catholics by remarks he made on national television about the Pope and the country’s Catholic bishops. Describing the Pope, the President said: “He is not an ambassador of Christ. (Source: CNS, 16th July 2010)
October 2010: Catholic leaders welcomed the results of the 26th September National Assembly elections that reduced the majority of President Hugo Chavez, saying the chamber was now “democratic” and no longer “fearful”. (Source: The Tablet, 5th October 2010)
Last updated: 23/03/2011