On the occasion of the ad Limina Visit of the Bishops of Venezuela, H. Exc. Msgr. Besabe, Bishop of San Felipe., speaks about the idea of integral human development and its practical application in Venezuelan society at this time of serious crisis.
In the country, the Catholic Church is present with 9 metropolitan seats, 26 suffragan dioceses, 3 apostolic vicariates, 1 military ordinariate and 2 apostolic exarchates of Eastern rite.
The Venezuelan Bishops' Conference is one of the members of CELAM (Conferencia Episcopal de Latino-America y Caribe).
In a country strongly marked by poverty, violence, corruption and insecurity, and by political and social tensions, the Venezuelan Church works firmly to re-establish dialogue - invoked in various appeals also by Pope Francis - between the government and the opposition: an indispensable premise for taking the country out of the serious economic and humanitarian crisis in which it has plunged in recent years.
The Church of Venezuela is also committed in the protection of freedom of expression; in the defense of the fundamental rights of prisoners, with particular attention to political prisoners; in dialogue between the various social components; against all forms of violence, repression and violation of human rights; and against excessive mining that destroys the Amazon and endangers the survival of indigenous peoples.
The bishops in Ad Limina Visit also draw attention to the serious social situation, which sees a widespread shortage of food and medicines in the country, affecting in particular the elderly, the sick, children and pregnant women. Thousands of children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition.
In the Venezuelan Church there is a champion of virtuous and heroic charity: Mother Carmen Rendiles Martinez, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, beatified in June 2018.