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Venez: Chavez and the Catholic Church
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
Venezuelanalysis - Apr 1, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=2005
Hugo Chavez's Holy War:
Chavez and the Catholic Church
By Nikolas Kozloff
When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently took his oath of office for
a second term, he swore it in the name of Jesus Christ, who he called the
greatest socialist of history. Its hardly an accident that Chavez would
hark on Christianity in addressing his people. For years, Venezuela has
been a religious battleground, with Chavez pursuing a combative
relationship with the Catholic Church.
In Venezuela, Catholics have a potent political voice and make up about 70%
of the countrys population. Ever since taking office in 1999, Chavez has
repeatedly clashed with the clergy. The President frequently chastised
Venezuelan bishops, accusing them of complicity with corrupt
administrations that preceded his rule.
To a certain extent, a clash was inevitable. Unlike some other Latin
American countries which were characterized by so-called liberation
theology, the Venezuelan Church has never had a leftist tendency.
According to observers, as few as one in 10 priests identify with the left
and out of more than 50 bishops only a handful are sympathetic to Chavez.
The Venezuelan Church: A Bastion of Conservatism
Despite the conservative nature of the Church, relations between the clergy
and the Chavez government got off to a reasonably good start. After he was
first elected in 1998, Chavez proclaimed his devotion to the Church and
Catholic social doctrine. Venezuelan bishops in turn supported the social
programs that Chavez had outlined during his presidential campaign.
Bishops welcomed Chavezs calls to end corruption, to foster a more
equitable distribution of wealth, transparent voting, and an end to the
ruling class special privileges.
Thing went awry, however, in July, 1999 when Chavez personally met with
Monsignor Baltazar Porras at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference.
Porras, the Archbishop of the Andean city of Merida and chairman of the
Episcopal Conference, met with Chavez for two hours.
Emerging from the meeting, Porras declared that the Venezuelan government
had opted to cut its traditional subsidies to the Church by up to 80%. The
new rules, Porras said, would oblige clerical authorities to adjust to the
new realities of the country, and to figure out how to search for self
financing. Porras became a vocal critic of the regime; in Caracas he
received the backing of the Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Andr
Hash: SHA1
Venez: Chavez and the Catholic Church
Via NY Transfer News Collective All the News that Doesn't Fit
Venezuelanalysis - Apr 1, 2007
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=2005
Hugo Chavez's Holy War:
Chavez and the Catholic Church
By Nikolas Kozloff
When Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently took his oath of office for
a second term, he swore it in the name of Jesus Christ, who he called the
greatest socialist of history. Its hardly an accident that Chavez would
hark on Christianity in addressing his people. For years, Venezuela has
been a religious battleground, with Chavez pursuing a combative
relationship with the Catholic Church.
In Venezuela, Catholics have a potent political voice and make up about 70%
of the countrys population. Ever since taking office in 1999, Chavez has
repeatedly clashed with the clergy. The President frequently chastised
Venezuelan bishops, accusing them of complicity with corrupt
administrations that preceded his rule.
To a certain extent, a clash was inevitable. Unlike some other Latin
American countries which were characterized by so-called liberation
theology, the Venezuelan Church has never had a leftist tendency.
According to observers, as few as one in 10 priests identify with the left
and out of more than 50 bishops only a handful are sympathetic to Chavez.
The Venezuelan Church: A Bastion of Conservatism
Despite the conservative nature of the Church, relations between the clergy
and the Chavez government got off to a reasonably good start. After he was
first elected in 1998, Chavez proclaimed his devotion to the Church and
Catholic social doctrine. Venezuelan bishops in turn supported the social
programs that Chavez had outlined during his presidential campaign.
Bishops welcomed Chavezs calls to end corruption, to foster a more
equitable distribution of wealth, transparent voting, and an end to the
ruling class special privileges.
Thing went awry, however, in July, 1999 when Chavez personally met with
Monsignor Baltazar Porras at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference.
Porras, the Archbishop of the Andean city of Merida and chairman of the
Episcopal Conference, met with Chavez for two hours.
Emerging from the meeting, Porras declared that the Venezuelan government
had opted to cut its traditional subsidies to the Church by up to 80%. The
new rules, Porras said, would oblige clerical authorities to adjust to the
new realities of the country, and to figure out how to search for self
financing. Porras became a vocal critic of the regime; in Caracas he
received the backing of the Papal Nuncio, Monsignor Andr
