POPE Leo XIV received Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado, in the Vatican on Monday, reiterating his call for a peaceful future for the crisis-stricken nation.
The private audience in the Apostolic Palace comes amid a critical period of transition following the dramatic capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. The meeting follows the Pope’s recent urgent appeals for Venezuela.
On January 4, addressing Maduro’s detention by U.S. forces, he expressed “deep concern” and stated that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.” He emphasized the need to overcome violence and pursue “paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country.”
Machado, a former National Assembly member and leader of the liberal-conservative Vente Venezuela party, has long opposed Maduro’s government and was forced into exile.
She travelled to Oslo in December to accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Her visit to the Vatican precedes an expected meeting in Washington with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The audience occurs against the backdrop of profound upheaval in Venezuela. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on January 3 during “Operation Absolute Resolute,” an operation that resulted in approximately 80 casualties.
Currently held in Brooklyn on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, his removal has prompted an interim government under Delcy Rodríguez and initiated a complex transition process supported by the international community, which has included the release of some political prisoners.
Pope Leo has consistently seen the crisis in humanitarian terms. In his January 9 address to diplomats, he urged the building of “a society founded on justice, truth, freedom and fraternity” to enable Venezuela “to rise from the grave crisis that has afflicted it for so many years.”
He pleaded for respect for “the will of the Venezuelan people” and the safeguarding of “the human and civil rights of all.”
Monday’s meeting with Machado underscores the Holy See’s ongoing diplomatic engagement, advocating for dialogue, national sovereignty, and a peaceful resolution focused on the welfare of Venezuela’s most vulnerable citizens.
Vatican News rewrite
