Caracas, Venezuela, Jun 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Archbishop Baltazar Porras of Merida and President of the Bishops Conference of Venezuela told reporters this week the aim a new federal law on religious freedom is not advancement of other minority religions or associations but rather to “give a whipping” to the Catholic Church.
According to reports, Archbishop Baltazar believes the threats to reduce school subsidies, the overhaul of the country’s treaty with the Vatican and the possible approval of a new religious freedom law are all part of a strategy to silence the Catholic Church, which has been the institution that has most forcefully denounced the excesses of the Chavez government.
Some fundamentalists groups are supporting Chavez’s decision to change laws on religious practice without consulting with the Church, because “other faiths” are emerging in the country.
The Bishops Conference points out, however, that “90% of the 25 million Venezuelans are baptized Catholics.”