Caracas, Venezuela, Aug 25, 2009 / 16:05 pm
The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, has called on Venezuelans to do more than just complain about the new education law canceling all religion classes in state-run schools. Instead, he urged his countrymen to to work against the new laws, pointing to the fact that they can be submitted to a constitutional review through a national referendum.
During a television interview, the cardinal referred to the recent laws on education and said Venezuelans should use every means possible to defend “a series of rights that cannot be taken away.”
The recent law on education was passed by the National Assembly without input from opposition leaders and others who called for more debate and consensus on the plan.
Cardinal Urosa slammed the government for fostering confrontation instead of unity among Venezuelans. He also rejected comments by National Assembly Vice President Saul Ortega, who called the cardinal a liar. “It’s one thing to have differing views from those of government representatives, it’s quite another to tell lies,” he stressed.