Pope Leo XIV meets Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as Venezuela faces new leadership after Maduro’s arrest by U.S. forces.
Newsroom (12/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In an unscheduled encounter that has drawn immediate international attention, Pope Leo XIV met on Monday, January 12, with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican. The audience, confirmed in a noon press release by the Holy See, was not part of the pontiff’s originally published schedule. No details of the private discussion have yet been released, in keeping with Vatican protocol.
Machado, long considered one of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition figures, has consistently raised her voice against the profound institutional, economic, and humanitarian crisis engulfing her nation. Her audience with the Pope comes at a critical moment, just days after seismic political shifts in Caracas reshaped the region’s balance of power.
On January 3, the United States captured Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn military operation. The former Venezuelan president, now detained in New York and facing federal charges related to drug trafficking and terrorism, has left a power vacuum in a country already on edge. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez assumed power in Caracas, while President Donald Trump—architect of the operation—has signaled caution about including Machado in Venezuela’s restructured political leadership.
Yet Machado’s public standing remains formidable. In December, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her lifelong advocacy of democratic reforms and nonviolent resistance. The White House has confirmed that she is scheduled to meet personally with President Trump later this week in Washington, opening a new channel of dialogue between Venezuelan opposition leaders and the United States government.
A Pontiff’s Concern and Call for Sovereignty
Since Maduro’s arrest, Pope Leo XIV has twice addressed the Venezuelan situation publicly, coupling spiritual concern with political nuance. The day following the U.S. operation, during his Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pontiff spoke with visible emotion about the need to preserve Venezuela’s sovereignty.
“With a heart full of concern, I am following the evolution of the situation in Venezuela,” he said from St. Peter’s Square, urging that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail above any other consideration.”
He called for an “end to violence” and for national actors to “embark on paths of justice and peace,” ensuring that the country’s sovereignty and constitutional rule be upheld. The Pope’s words reflected a careful balance—acknowledging the country’s suffering while reinforcing the Vatican’s insistence on dialogue and rule of law.
A Diplomatic Appeal for Justice and Reconciliation
In his annual address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See on January 9, Leo XIV deepened his appeal. He urged the international community to “respect the will of the Venezuelan people,” work toward protecting civil and human rights, and seek peaceful political resolutions grounded in the common good rather than partisan division.
He pointed to the recent canonization of two Venezuelan saints, José Gregorio Hernández and Sister Carmen Rendiles, as symbols of the faith, service, and moral clarity he hopes Venezuelan society can emulate. “In this way,” the Pope said, “a society founded on justice, truth, freedom and fraternity can be built, and thus we can emerge from the serious crisis that has afflicted the country for many years.”
The pontiff also drew attention to the corrosive impact of drug trafficking, identifying it as both a cause and consequence of Venezuela’s broader humanitarian collapse. He urged investment in education, job creation, and “human development” to replace illicit economies with social stability.
A Day of Audiences and Global Outreach
Monday was a particularly full day for Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace. Alongside Machado, he also received Davide Prosperi, president of the lay ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation, and Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Though brief in public acknowledgment, the Pope’s meeting with Machado represents a symbolic act of engagement during a period when Venezuela’s political identity remains unresolved. In bridging spiritual concern and diplomatic discretion, Leo XIV again places the Vatican in the quiet but influential position of moral mediator—one that may prove decisive as the post-Maduro era begins to unfold.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Prensa
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