After the U.S. intervened militarily in Venezuela and detained President Maduro, the Episcopal Conference urges calm, faith, and hope amid uncertainty.
Newsroom (08/01/2026 Gaudium Press) The president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Jesús González de Zárate, describes a nation living through “hours of great concern.” On the night of Saturday, January 3, the United States launched a dramatic military operation across Venezuela, carrying out targeted bombings of strategic military installations and ultimately capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Nearly a week later, the repercussions continue to unfold. “A global reading of the events of last Saturday and their consequences is difficult,” Monsignor González de Zárate told ACI Prensa. “New information appears every day and new dynamics are developing around these events, which advises us to be prudent and patient.”
He acknowledges that his own understanding of events shifted throughout that first day. “The way I analyzed things on Saturday morning was not the same as in the afternoon,” he explains, pointing to U.S. President Donald Trump’s press conference, in which Trump declared that Washington would govern Venezuela directly and dismissed opposition leader María Corina Machado as a future leader.
A Nation in “Tense Calm”
Across Venezuela, the population is caught between apprehension and hope. “Many questions are arising among the population about the immediate future,” González de Zárate observes. Though panic initially took hold — with residents rushing to supermarkets and gas stations to stock up on supplies — life is slowly regaining its rhythm. By Sunday, he noted, “vehicle traffic and work activities have been gradually resuming.”
As Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed duties as acting president before the newly sworn-in National Assembly — following an order of the Supreme Court — the Venezuelan bishops released a public statement of solidarity with citizens. Their message was simple yet profound: faith must not be lost.
Faith as the Anchor
“Faith gives us reasons to live through these difficult times trusting in God’s love,” says Monsignor González de Zárate. He emphasizes that the bishops’ prayers extend to “the families of those who have been injured or have lost their lives.” Their message of compassion and resilience echoes across parishes now serving as spaces for prayer and quiet reflection amid a fractured national mood.
The Church’s concern extends beyond Venezuela’s borders. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 7.9 million Venezuelans have fled the country in recent years — one of the world’s largest displacement crises. “We Venezuelan bishops have spoken out many times about the migration of millions of our compatriots,” he says. “It is a matter of great concern, especially as new public policies emerge that significantly affect them.”
A Waiting Moment for the Church
Despite the sweeping political changes, the Episcopal Conference has chosen restraint. “We prefer not to make an official statement on the political situation until a clearer picture can be obtained,” González de Zárate explains. “We bishops have maintained constant monitoring and discernment of these issues, with a spirit of faith and in a climate of prayer, guided by the great principles of the Church’s social doctrine.”
The Church’s role, he emphasizes, will be to uphold the values requested by Pope Francis: to “guarantee national sovereignty” and preserve peace amid turbulence.
In the wake of shock and shifting power, Venezuela’s clergy now stands as one of the few stable voices urging calm. For Monsignor González de Zárate and his fellow bishops, patience, prayer, and prudence have become the nation’s moral compass in a moment that could redefine its future.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Prensa
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