On Catholic Communicators’ Day, Venezuelan bishops honor journalists as agents of truth, hope, and reconciliation amid national unrest.
Newsroom (26/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) On the occasion of Catholic Communicators’ Day, January 24, the bishops of Venezuela issued a heartfelt message to those who serve the Church and society through communication. Through the Episcopal Commission for Communication, the prelates expressed gratitude to Catholic journalists and media workers, calling their vocation “an authentic evangelizing mission in service of peace and reconciliation among our people.”
Quoting Pope Francis, the bishops echoed that to communicate truly is “to speak to the heart.” In Venezuela’s fraught social and political climate, they said, the very act of informing has become a feat of strength. Catholic communicators, they stressed, must rise above data transmission and serve the truth with integrity, protecting human dignity in a fragile landscape of uncertainty.
Faith in a Climate of Fear
The bishops located their appeal within a troubling panorama for Venezuelan journalists. By January, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) had recorded 24 journalists unjustly imprisoned. Although the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez recently announced the release of hundreds of political detainees—including 19 media professionals—skepticism remains. Independent groups cited by Foro Penal could confirm only 156 releases since January 8, far fewer than the 600 claimed by authorities.
Six journalists are still behind bars, including opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa, a close ally of María Corina Machado, described in the statement as both a Nobel laureate and a national symbol of resistance. The bishops warned that democracy cannot thrive where the press continues to suffer intimidation.
The Case of Juan Francisco Alvarado
The prelates also pointed to the sentencing of Juan Francisco Alvarado, a 31-year-old communications student who received a 15-year prison term after reporting a sewage leak in his community. According to the SNTP, Alvarado’s reportage was reclassified by the state as “incitement to hatred” and “rebellion.” His case, the bishops said, exemplifies how truth-telling can now bring severe punishment.
Against such realities, they lamented that Venezuela’s public discourse is dominated by “a speculative narrative where opinion anticipates reality,” feeding cycles of hostility and mistrust. The bishops called for a new language of peace, urging communicators to become “an oasis of serenity” amid the desert of disinformation and denigration.
Communication as Communion
“Church communication must be an instrument for communion,” the message affirmed. True evangelization, they argued, demands a “communication of listening” that gives voice to the vulnerable and prevents the powerful from monopolizing the story. This call, the bishops suggested, is not merely institutional—it is moral and spiritual.
“You are the storytellers of a Church and a people who aspire to live in peace,” the statement read. “Your work is to weave fraternity where isolation or lies seek to prevail.” The bishops situated journalism squarely within the Christian call to rebuild the human fabric of a wounded nation.
Perseverance and Hope
Bishop Luis Enrique Rojas of Punto Fijo, president of the commission, praised Catholic media workers who remain devoted despite “the limitations of their environment.” The bishops acknowledged that reporting today means facing “adverse winds,” yet they urged perseverance: to never tire of seeking the truth that “arises from respect for others and from integral development.”
“Venezuela needs stories that heal,” they wrote, “stories that build, and that allow us to see God’s presence in our history.” The message concluded with a note of blessing and gratitude: “To journalists, designers, broadcasters, and all those who proclaim the Gospel in the digital world: Thank you.”
Entrusting Venezuela’s communicators to the Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Coromoto, and Saint Francis de Sales, the bishops left a final reminder—communication remains a sacred act when it serves justice, fosters communion, and sows peace.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Infocahtolica
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