Caracas, Venezuela, Aug 3, 2007 / 09:04 am
Cardinal Jorge Urosa Sabino of Caracas warned this week there are indications that President Hugo Chavez’s “21st Century Socialism” is “similar to Marxist Socialism and totalitarianism” and that should that be the case, the Catholic Church in Venezuela would reject it.
In an interview on state-run television, the cardinal emphasized, “Our interest is that things go well in the country, our purpose is to work for the good of the country and our concerns are about some things that could be negative for the country, such as the problem of what defines the 21st Century Socialism that the president is promoting.”
“There are certain clues that indicate this is similar to Marxist socialism and totalitarianism. It seems this is the case. If so, we would not agree with it. If not, it needs to be defined,” the cardinal explained.
He noted that if Chavez’s idea consists of a democratic socialism the Church could support it. On the other hand, if his idea of the state is one where it is absolute, such as in China, where “the State even tells families how many children they can have,” then the Church cannot give its support. He went on, the Church cannot support a system “that ruined every nation that was a part of Marxist socialism.”