Caracas, Venezuela, Jan 8, 2013 / 16:18 pm
A leading Venezuelan bishop called on government officials to avoid manipulating the constitution amid uncertainty over the swearing-in of cancer-stricken President Hugo Chavez for a second term.
"To alter the constitution to obtain a political objective is morally unacceptable," said Archbishop Diego Padron Sanchez, president of the Bishops' Conference of Venezuela.
"The political and social scene, because of the uncertainty stemming from the president's illness, remains obscure," he observed on Jan. 7 during the opening of the bishops' 99th Plenary Assembly.
"Various interpretations are being made of the constitutional norm that governs the swearing in of the president for a new term," he said, noting that the Chavez administration's first term expires on Jan. 10, the day that the president is supposed to take the oath of office after being reelected.
"Election day on Oct. 7 would have made no sense if it were not for the purposes of a distinct term of government, similar to the new term of the current president of the National Assembly," Archbishop Padron said.
He underscored that the bishops' role is not to interpret the constitution but warned that "the common good of the country and the defense of ethics are at stake."