AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Still clashes, Maduro announces a Constituent Assembly, guarantees for an intervention from the Holy See

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - " There is no stop to the arrival of dramatic news about the situation in Venezuela and the aggravation of the clashes with many dead, wounded and detained. As I unite myself to the pain of the families of the victims, for which I ensure prayers for suffrage, I appeal to the government and all members of Venezuelan society to avoid any more forms of violence, to respect human rights and to seek a negotiated solution concerning the serious humanitarian, social, political and economic crisis that is exhausting the population: this is what the Holy Father said during the Regina Coeli on April 30. Also in his conversation with journalists on the way back from Egypt on April 29, Pope Francis had said, with regards to a new intervention from the Holy See: "I think this has to be with conditions; very clear conditions. Everything that can be done for Venezuela has to be done with the necessary guarantees".
At the moment, according to information gathered by Fides, President Nicolas Maduro has announced that he wants to convene a "People's Constituent Assembly" to reform the State's legal structure and "bring peace to our Country". The opposition calls for free elections to put an end to Maduro's political regime.
At an international level, eight countries in the region (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) have asked to return the powers to Parliament and release the political prisoners who demonstrated against Maduro’s government. "It is essential to have clear conditions for a negotiated solution to the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in this brother country", reads the joint declaration of these Countries. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 02/05/2017)


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