Archdiocese of Caracas demands Venezuelan military return chapel

Caracas, Venezuela, Sep 19, 2008 / 18:07 pm

In a statement the Archdiocese of Caracas demanded that the government and the Venezuelan military return the Chapel of Jesus of the Divine Mercy, which was taken over by the military to train 8 to 14 year olds for the Army’s “Children and Young People’s Reserve Brigades.”

On September 7, an Army reserve soldier entered the chapel at the end of Sunday Mass and demanded that the religious brothers who are its administrators abandon the chapel, which the soldier said “would be used for the formation and training of the ‘Children’s and Young People’s Reserve Brigades,’ made up of children aged 8-14.”

“According to the testimony of neighbors, the chapel is being used for activities with underage children until late into the night,” the statement indicated.

The archdiocese expressed outrage over the incident and denounced the occupation of a “sacred place dedicated to religious worship.”

It also demanded respect for “the rights of children according to current national and international law.”  “The appropriate measures we are demanding will re-establish peace and harmony in the community affected by the acts we are denouncing,” the archdiocese said.