Archbishop says Church ready to play role in reconciliation of Venezuelans

Caracas, Venezuela, Aug 25, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The president of the Bishops Conference of Venezuela, Archbishop Baltazar Porras, is again calling for reconciliation among all Venezuelans, saying the Church is ready and willing to help.

Speaking on Venezuelan radio, the Archbishop of Merida said, “The Church is ready to mediate a possible dialogue between the government and the opposition.”

Although he emphasized the importance of establishing a clear agenda, he said it was the government’s responsibility to propose one and to provide an atmosphere for it to take place.

In addition, he said it was vital that “doubts concerning election fraud be cleared up.  All of the doubts should disappear, because this is a political problem provoking confrontation.”

Archbishop Porras insisted that authorities address concerns about the results of the referendum and he reiterated that “the Church will facilitate the establishing of a dialogue.”