Caracas, Venezuela, Apr 15, 2009 / 21:16 pm
Auxiliary Bishop Jesus Gonzalez Zarate, secretary general of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, denounced the break-in at the bishops’ headquarters on Tuesday. No objects or papers were stolen, but various offices, including that of the bishops’ president, were ransacked.
According to the newspaper El Universal, the bishop explained that employees of the bishops’ conference found filing cabinets and files opened throughout the building. They immediately called the police, who arrived at the headquarters within minutes.
Investigators said no equipment or important documents had been stolen. The intruders did make off with a laptop computer.
Bishop Gonzalez said they had not reached a conclusion about the nature of the break-in, but that the incident “only expressed what we bishops said last week, that there is a climate of insecurity that has become widespread. Today it happened to us, as it has in the past to many of our fellow countrymen in their homes, businesses, etc, and this is the call we bishops have made, to strengthen security measures, to teach people about peace, living together and avoiding confrontation.”