ACI Prensa Staff, Feb 14, 2023 / 13:30 pm
Ulises Gutiérrez, the archbishop of Ciudad Bolívar and second vice president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, lamented that the country is falling back into “extreme poverty.”
In a statement to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Gutiérrez noted that “hunger is more acute every day; there is great need in all sectors of the country.”
“We have six soup kitchens where 100 meals a day are given to children and the elderly,” he said, adding that “maintaining these soup kitchens is extremely expensive and we’re looking for resources,” most of which “come from the outside with the support of Cáritas.”
To demonstrate the seriousness of the situation in the country, the prelate pointed out that the salary of a doctor “is seven dollars a month” while “basic nutrition is 400 dollars.”