Following the U.S. military raid on January 3rd and the capture of former President Maduro, many questioned the silence of the Venezuelan bishops on the matter. The Holy See requested that they speak as a cohesive body, rather than as individual bishops. The process took time because the bishops of Venezuela had different views on both the American military action and the end of the Maduro era. Now, they have released a pastoral letter addressed to the entire nation.
In the pastoral letter of the Venezuelan Bishops Your Light Will Rise Like the Dawn the events of January 3rd loom like a specter. They refer to that day in symbolic terms without ever mentioning what actually happened. The Venezuelan people and the bishops are divided in their interpretations of the events. «Some have interpreted it as a violation of international law, while many believe it paves the way for the democratization of the country.» For sure, Venezuela at the beginning of 2026 is very different from the country at the end of 2025. «The events of January 3 have profoundly changed the political and social landscape of the country.»
Judgment of the Maduro regime is severe: overall impoverishment; unemployment; violations of human and civil rights; deterioration of quality of life; mass migration; destruction of the school system; widespread poverty; electoral fraud; corruption and clientelism; marginalization of indigenous communities left to fend for themselves; and serious shortcomings in the healthcare system. The bishops’ position on the American interference desired by the Trump administration is more nuanced yet no less clear: the sovereignty and self-determination of Venezuela and its people must be guaranteed and respected, and any «undue interference by external factors» must be excluded. The activities of foreign groups operating in Venezuela to «illegally extract mineral resources» are unacceptable.
The bishops’ reference to Article 5 of the National Constitution addresses both internal political events and external attempts to reduce Venezuela to a puppet state. «Sovereignty resides in an inalienable manner in the people» – says the Constitution that the bishops quote in their pastoral letter. The state emanates from the sovereignty of the people, not vice versa, and it is comprised of Venezuelan citizens, not foreign powers.
In a deeply divided country and Catholic Church, the bishops have reached a consensus on the need to initiate a process of dialogue, reconciliation, «reunification, mutual recognition, forgiveness, and purification of memory in truth and justice with a firm will to respect the dignity of persons.» The bishops are committed to accompanying and supporting this process for the good of the entire population, especially the poor and vulnerable.
This process of dialogue and national reconciliation takes place on personal and institutional levels. Regarding relations between citizens, the bishops affirm that «a society is reconciled and rebuilt not with heroes, but with free, responsible people capable of living together with dignity and building a hopeful future.» They say a clear “no” to violence, retaliation, and revenge. They emphasize the need to build a truly shared citizenship «regardless of ideology or political affiliation.»
Referring to the legal tradition of the constitutional State, the bishops affirm the primacy of the person and their dignity over the State. From this perspective, public space and institutional recognition must be granted to intermediate bodies, ranging from families and civil organizations to local indigenous communities and real political pluralism.
Only with the full involvement of civil society can State institutions be profoundly restructured and the «sovereignty and self-determination» of the Venezuelan people be guaranteed. Much work must be done along the «difficult path of national reconciliation,» and urgently so. This work includes rebuilding democracy, restoring the independence of public powers, establishing a credible and reliable Constitutional Court and National Electoral Council, and ensuring the state’s territorial control of the country.
There are two short-term demands: First, «the release of all political prisoners or those detained for unjust reasons.» Regarding this issue, the bishops say they are interested in the proposal for a broad and inclusive «general amnesty law.» Secondly, to address growing poverty and curb the massive exodus of young people abroad, the bishops call for «the resources obtained from the recovery of the oil industry to be allocated to improving wages and implementing social programs that generate personal, community, and entrepreneurial initiatives.»
After a period of silence, the Venezuelan Catholic Church is committed to facilitating an effective process of national reconciliation that respects the self-determination of citizens and leads to a constitutional democracy in which the state serves citizens, not the other way around. Now, after the words, the bishops and all Venezuelan Catholics must take action and begin this journey of mutual recognition and respect starting within Christian communities.
