Vatican City, Aug 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm
As he received the new Venezuelan Ambassador to the Vatican, , Iván Guillermo Rincón Urdaneta, Pope Benedict asked Hugo Chavez’s Government to respect a space of freedom for the Church, because the State doesn’t have “anything to fear” from her.
The Pope initiated his speech wishing the best for President Hugo Chavez, as well as “ my sincere sentiments of affection to the Venezuelan people, for which I pray the Almighty, that in the actual situation of his social and economical life, he seeks recklessly the most adapted solutions to reach ever higher objectives of justice, solidarity, in compliance with the Christian spirit, that has done so much to forge the national identity.
The Holy See, the Pope explained, follows very closely the events of this beloved ”Land of Grace” which he manifested in various occasions.
The Holy Father then reminded the “constant work of the Church in Venezuela often carried out precariously in terms of human and material resources.”