This week the Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, called for Venezuela's Sept. 26 elections to be free of manipulation. “As bishops it is our duty to urge people to vote,” to have “respect for the election laws,” and to ensure “there is no fraud,” he told Union Radio.

He also called on Venezuelans to trust that their votes will be confidential. “Those who feel undue pressure from anyone should trust that their vote is confidential. We must set fear aside and fulfill our commitment to ourselves, our families, the country and our future, in order to achieve a better country,” the cardinal added.

Cardinal Urosa also warned of the danger of falling to Socialism, which is the “fatal” ideology of Cuba, “a nation that is submerged in a totalitarian system.” “We do not want the Communist system because it goes against our Constitution and the rights that strengthen the lives of people,” he concluded.