Lenten campaign 2026
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“Your light shall break forth like the dawn” (Isaiah 58:8). With that promise from the Hebrew Bible, Venezuela’s bishops concluded their 125th Ordinary Plenary Assembly, issuing a pastoral exhortation on February 9 that is at once spiritual and unmistakably civic.
The statement, titled “Despuntará tu luz como la aurora,” (Your light will break forth like the dawn, from the Book of Isaiah) speaks into what it calls a dramatically altered national landscape following the events of January 3. Drawing on the Gospel image of Christ calming the storm, the bishops insist that “Jesus is always with His people. He is the God-with-us, Emmanuel.”
The bishops describe a country marked by widespread impoverishment, corruption, violations of human and civil rights, and a deep erosion of public trust. They point to the failure to publish detailed results from the July 28, 2024, presidential elections as a grave disregard for popular sovereignty.
Echoing remarks by Pope Leo XIV at his January 4 Angelus, they affirm that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration,” calling for justice, peace, and respect for constitutional order.
Infobox: Church and state in Venezuela since Chávez
Under Hugo Chávez, relations between the government and the Catholic hierarchy grew strained. Chávez accused bishops of siding with elites, while the bishops criticized constitutional reforms and growing executive power.
2013–present: Heightened conflict under Nicolás Maduro
With Nicolás Maduro, economic collapse and political repression intensified tensions. The bishops repeatedly denounced electoral irregularities, human rights abuses, and the humanitarian crisis, while expanding Church-run aid through Caritas and parish networks.
Today:
Despite friction, the Church remains one of the country’s most trusted institutions — a vocal moral voice and a key provider of humanitarian assistance.
Sovereignty, democracy, and institutions
The bishops root their appeal in Article 5 of the national constitution: Sovereignty resides in the people. For that principle to have meaning, they argue, Venezuela must rebuild democratic institutions, restore the independence of public powers, and ensure a credible Supreme Court and National Electoral Council capable of guaranteeing free and fair elections.
They also warn of irregular armed groups and foreign actors who exercise control in parts of the country, undermining national self-determination. True sovereignty, they claim, is not only political but territorial and moral.
“We share in the pain of our people”
One of the most striking passages is pastoral in tone. The bishops express solidarity with political prisoners and their families, with migrants forced into exile, with the sick who lack access to medicine, with teachers and healthcare workers earning meager salaries, and with Indigenous communities pushed to the margins.
They welcome the release of some detainees but renew their call for the full liberation of all political prisoners and support for a broad, inclusive amnesty law.
Their appeal to human dignity rests on the Church’s consistent teaching that respect for the person is the foundation of any just society. Laws that restrict freedom of expression, free voting, or the work of civil organizations, they say, must be reconsidered.
Reconciliation as a national task
The path forward, the bishops argue, requires more than political reform. It demands conversion of heart: rejecting violence, lies, hatred, and vengeance, and embracing processes of encounter, forgiveness, and reconciliation .
They commit the Church’s parishes, schools, and charitable ministries to being spaces of encounter and healing, especially during Lent, with prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and the Stations of the Cross as sources of strength .
Entrusting the nation to Our Lady of Coromoto, they urge Venezuelans to take up their responsibilities “with courage and generosity,” so that the country may find progress along paths of freedom, justice, and peace .
