The president of the Venezuelan episcopal conference is poised to report to
Vatican authorities personally on recent aggressions against Church
representatives.
"The Vatican is abreast of the country's situation, but the most recent
incidents will be discussed there," Archbishop Baltazar Porras said
Sunday, before traveling to Rome, according to press reports.
The situation in Venezuela is getting worse, according to the archbishop. There
is "no respect for persons or institutions; tolerance is"
disappearing, he said.
One recent attack was the attempt to kill Father Juan Manuel Fernández on Sept.
18. He and an acolyte were wounded by gunshots while they were traveling in a
car. The archbishop complained that the crime is not being investigated.
Last Wednesday, groups supporting President Hugo Chávez verbally attacked
Archbishop Porras in the Legislative Council of the state of Merida, where his
archdiocese is.
Speaking to the press, Archbishop Porras said: "The deaths in Sur del
Lago, the aggressions against the president of the Supreme Court of Justice,
Ivan Rincón Urdaneta ... and to my person are evidence of the language of
violence, irrationality, fanaticism and intolerance."
Archbishop Porras announced that the national assembly of the bishops'
conference will discuss the matter Oct. 17 and 18.
"People feel anxiety over the general situation of the country where
violence, poverty, hunger, fear, intimidation and unrest mount because of the
absence of law and institutionalization, which fosters the flowering of
anarchy," he said.
"Given the climate of uncertainty and conflict, lack of social respect for
persons and institutions, we are going down a path that does not help the
coexistence of all Venezuelans to attain greater well-being," he said.
Archbishop Porras said that this is the first time in the democratic era that
the Church is the target of attacks. "During the era of the guerrillas,
there were only verbal exchanges but it never led to attacks," he
recalled.