'Reformed Catholic Church' backed by Chavez, says Venezuelan bishop

Caracas, Venezuela, Jul 16, 2008 / 10:33 am

Archbishop Roberto Lückert, vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, told a local radio station this week that the recently created “Reformed Catholic Church” which says it supports President Hugo Chavez is backed by the government.

The self-proclaimed “Reformed Catholic Church” has not generated much interest among Venezuelans, but according to Archbishop Lückert, thanks to the support of the government, it already has opened four places of worship in the country.

The archbishop pointed out that the church was founded be a former Catholic priest, a Lutheran minister and an Anglican minister, “and that the government pays priests to attend their events, including hotel and airfare.”

“Rejection (of the new denomination) has not only come from the Catholic Church, but the Lutheran and Anglican Communions have also expressed their disapproval of this church,” the archbishop said.

He also pointed to TV stations that have been required to air ads promoting the new church as proof of the government’s support for the new sect.

“This church only aims to use the name ‘Catholic’ to confuse the weakest of the faithful.  They are against the unity of the Catholic Church and are therefore outside it,” Archbishop Lückert warned.