Lima, Peru, May 23, 2018 / 22:01 pm
The bishops of Peru have launched a campaign to collect funds to provide for the basic needs of Venezuelan refugees living in the country.
The Peruvian bishops' conference announced the collection will take place June 3, during the day's scheduled Masses.
According to Caritas International, about four million people have left Venezuela due to the grave economic crisis marked by a major shortage of food and medicine under the socialist government of Nicolas Maduro, the president of the country since 2013. Maduro was re-elected May 20 in questionable elections.
Maduro is the hand-picked successor of socialist president Hugo Chavez.