Caracas, Venezuela, Apr 1, 2013 / 15:01 pm
Christ, who is both God and man, must not be equated with any human leader or personality, warned Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas, Venezuela.
Jesus Christ "was not simply a leader or one of humanity's great men," nor was he merely "a social activist," said Cardinal Urosa during Palm Sunday Mass on March 24.
The cardinal's statement came in the wake of comments by interim President Nicolas Maduro, calling Hugo Chavez "the redeeming Christ of the poor of America."
"Jesus Christ is not just any person: he is not a prophet like the ones from the Old Testament; he is not a great saint like St. Joseph, St. Paul or St. Anthony, St. Ignatius of Loyola or St. John Bosco; he is not a boss or leader and benefactor of nations," Cardinal Urosa declared, according to the archdiocesan press office.