In Venezuela, church-state tension resurfaces following rights report

Published: 2004-04-21

CARACAS, Venezuela (CNS) -- Long-simmering tension between the church and the Venezuelan government has boiled up again following the church's publication of a human rights report highly critical of the government of President Hugo Chavez. The April 1 report criticized a "deterioration in quality of life," and "grave social problems," as well as increased corruption and government use of "unreasonable repression by security forces" during March and April opposition protests demanding a referendum on Chavez's presidency. Late last year, opposition organizations collected more than the constitutionally required number of signatures for such a vote, but Chavez charges that many of the signatures may be fraudulent. The church's document endorsed the vote as the best solution in the face of "a progressive deterioration of the institutions" and "the threat of a national collapse" and suggested the government was using "obstacles and legalistic arguments" to block it.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .