Pope Leo XIV urged President Donald Trump to de-escalate tensions with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying he should return to dialogue and only use nonviolent pressure.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Leo expressed concern about developments between the United States and Venezuela, fearing a military escalation between the two.
“I believe it’s better to look for ways of dialogue, perhaps pressure, including economic pressure, but looking for other ways to change, if that’s what the United States wants to do,” the pope said.
He wasn’t entirely negative, however, noting with promise that Trump and Maduro had spoken on the phone last week.
“On one hand, it seems there was a call between the two presidents. On the other hand, there is the danger, there is the possibility there will be some [military] activity,” Leo continued. “The voices that come from the United States, they change with a certain frequency.”
The comments are the latest from the first American pope, who has been critical of Trump, with previous comments targeting him over his stance on immigration.
Maduro may not be as welcoming toward Leo’s comments as he has been, having been harshly critical of Vatican efforts to facilitate dialogue in the past. In June 2021, Maduro harshly denounced a letter from Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, which called for dialogue to resolve the country’s problems, according to the Catholic News Agency.
Maduro said the letter “was a compendium of hatred, poison, quarrelling, cynicism, it’s ridiculous; a letter truly full of hatred, a national disaster, the letter from Pietro Parolin.”
Shortly after he took power, Maduro bashed the Catholic Church for objecting to the government’s use of a poem manipulating the Lord’s Prayer to include “Our Chávez,” in the process, accusing the Vatican of trying to “overthrow” Chávez during his lifetime.
In contrast to many other authoritarian leaders of a left-wing bent, Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, have openly embraced Christianity. Chávez was more straightforwardly Catholic, citing church beliefs to justify his policies, and even spoke of repeatedly trying to convert fellow socialist leader Fidel Castro.
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Maduro has spoken of his Catholic upbringing, but has a more eclectic public spiritual life. In recent years, he has leaned away from Catholicism and more toward Protestantism, focusing on major outreach efforts to evangelicals. He has repeatedly appeared alongside Protestant pastors during prayer sessions on national television and even allowed some freedom for evangelical parties while banning other opposition parties.
Maduro has a painting of Jesus Christ guiding him, like the captain of a ship in stormy waters, hanging in his home.
