Pope Leo XIV. Photo: Vatican Media.
Pope Leo XIV urged the US government to seek dialogue and expressed his disagreement with the use of force, repeated threats and the possibility of invasion against Venezuela.
When approached by journalists on the plane returning from his trip to Lebanon, the pontiff said, “It is always better to seek ways of dialogue,” while reaffirming that they are “looking for ways to calm the situation for the good of the people, because it is they who suffer the situation and not the authorities.”
He added: “The voices coming from the United States change frequently, so we have to see. But it seems there has been a conversation—and on the other hand, there is the danger, the possibility of activity, an operation, even invading the territory. I don’t know more.”
While the Pope’s opposition to a US military intervention against Venezuelan democracy was clear, his remarks also appeared to tacitly accept the illegal unilateral sanctions the US has imposed for over a decade on millions of Venezuelans.
The Pope acknowledged the use of “pressure, even economic pressure” as a possibility, before concluding with a statement that appears to contradict internationally recognized principles of sovereignty: “looking for another way to change things, if that is what they decide to do in the United States.”
The US has maintained a naval and air deployment in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela since September, under the pretext of combating drug trafficking. It has also linked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the nonexistent “Cartel of the Suns”—a fabricated group allegedly involved in drug trafficking—an accusation rejected by the Bolivarian government.
Meanwhile, Washington has reported attacks on some 20 alleged drug-trafficking vessels, resulting in the deaths of more than 80 crew members.
US Admits to ‘Double-Tap’ Attack That Killed Survivors of Missile Strikes in Caribbean
On Nov. 21, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) urged “extreme caution” when flying over Venezuela and the southern Caribbean due to what it described as “a potentially dangerous situation” in the area.
Three days earlier, US President Donald Trump warned of the total closure of Venezuelan airspace, an action that provoked categorical rejection from the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
(Ăšltimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JB/SH
