Vatican’s Cardinal Parolin confirms Holy See’s failed bid to avert U.S. intervention in Venezuela amid Maduro’s capture and deepening crisis.
Newsroom (20/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Vatican’s second-highest official, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, confirmed Saturday that the Holy See sought to prevent U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, an effort that ultimately failed before the Jan. 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking to reporters outside Rome’s Domus Mariae church on Jan. 17, Parolin said the Vatican attempted to mediate a peaceful resolution to Venezuela’s political deadlock. “We had tried precisely — as, among other things, has appeared in some newspapers — to find a solution that would avoid any bloodshed,” he explained, describing efforts to reach an agreement involving Maduro and other key figures in the regime. “But this was not possible.”
The remarks followed a Mass celebrating the first public veneration of relics of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati. Parolin, who served as apostolic nuncio to Venezuela from 2009 to 2013, reflected on the deep uncertainty gripping the country and reaffirmed the Vatican’s longstanding call for dialogue. “The Vatican has always supported a peaceful solution,” he said, acknowledging that the Holy See has now “found itself faced with a fait accompli, a de facto situation.”
The cardinal characterized the current climate in Venezuela as “a situation of great uncertainty.” He expressed hope that the crisis would “evolve toward stability, toward an economic recovery — because the economic situation is truly very, very precarious — and also toward the democratization of the country.”
Parolin declined to elaborate on details cited in a Jan. 9 Washington Post report claiming that the Holy See had attempted to facilitate Maduro’s departure from Venezuela through an offer of asylum in Russia. Soon after that report, the Holy See Press Office clarified that discussions had taken place during the Christmas period but called it “disappointing that parts of a confidential conversation are published without accurately reflecting its content.”
Pope Leo XIV has addressed the Venezuelan situation repeatedly, urging respect for the will of the people and championing peaceful solutions “free of partisan interests.” In his most recent remarks, delivered Jan. 9 to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, he reiterated support for dialogue and humanitarian relief.
The pope also hosted Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Jan. 12, ahead of her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking afterward at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., Machado said the pontiff “knows very well what is happening in Venezuela,” noting his awareness of “the persecution and pressure on our bishops and priests.” She emphasized that Pope Leo XIV is “not only concerned, but is helping and actively supporting” peaceful democratic transition efforts.
With Venezuela’s leadership now in flux and international pressure mounting, the Vatican’s quiet diplomatic maneuvers reveal a rare behind-the-scenes attempt to prevent conflict between Washington and Caracas — one that, despite its failure, underscores the Holy See’s continuing role as a moral interlocutor in global crises.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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