Caracas, Venezuela, Aug 27, 2009 / 17:01 pm
The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, called on the faithful of Venezuela to pray for the release of all people who have been kidnapped, especially German Garcia Mendoza, “who is from a family that is very supportive of the Church in Caracas.”
The press office of the Archdiocese of Caracas released a letter from the Garcia Mendoza family in which they lamented that “kidnapping has become one of the most popular criminal acts in Venezuela.”
“This inhumane action not only causes anguish to the family, friends and acquaintances of the victims, but also affects all of society, causing fear and stifling the country’s development, depriving it of valuable men and women who work to build it,” the family said.
German Garcia Mendoza was kidnapped on February 25, 2009, by a group of armed men who stopped him while he was on his way home.
The family immediately called the police upon learning of the incident but six months later “there is no sign of his whereabouts or his state of health, which causes us even greater concern.”
They called on the Venezuelan government to do everything possible to solve the case and return German to his home and family. “We prayed for the health and wellbeing of all the kidnapped,” the family said.