Venezuelan journalist Edgar Beltrán attacked at Pontifical Lateran University for questioning Maduro regime’s use of canonizations. Press freedom concerns rise.
Newsroom (20/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) A Venezuelan journalist was violently attacked at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome on October 17 while questioning a senior Catholic official about the potential political exploitation of Venezuela’s first canonized saints by the Nicolás Maduro regime. The incident, which unfolded during an ecclesial event, has raised serious concerns about press freedom and the regime’s efforts to control narratives abroad.
Edgar Beltrán, a correspondent for The Pillar, approached Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra to ask whether he feared the Maduro government might use the canonizations of José Gregorio Hernández and Mother Carmen Rendiles as propaganda. According to The Pillar, a man interrupted Beltrán mid-question, seized his phone, threw him to the ground, and verbally berated him, demanding he refrain from mentioning the regime. Despite the aggression, Beltrán regained his composure and continued his reporting.
The attacker was later identified as Ricardo Cisneros, a Venezuelan businessman with close ties to the Maduro government, who was part of an official delegation at the event. Journalist Orlando Avendaño and other sources corroborated Cisneros’s identity, spotlighting the regime’s apparent reach into international settings. Cisneros’s violent reaction underscores the sensitivity of questions linking the canonizations to the regime’s political agenda.
The assault, occurring in the heart of an academic and ecclesial institution, represents a stark violation of press freedom. Beltrán’s question touched on a broader issue: allegations that the Maduro regime, facing criticism for electoral fraud, repression, and political imprisonment, may seek to leverage the canonizations to bolster its public image amid widespread devotion to the new saints.
The incident is not an isolated outburst but part of a pattern of intimidation, experts say. Venezuela’s government has long been accused of stifling dissent, and this attack highlights its efforts to control narratives even at global religious events. The Church, a beacon of transparency and moral authority, now faces questions about how it will respond to such acts within its own institutions.
As the Vatican celebrates the canonization of two Venezuelan saints, the assault on Beltrán serves as a grim reminder of the challenges facing journalists who dare to question the intersection of faith and politics under authoritarian regimes.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infovaticana
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