Pope Leo XIV’s agenda has been marked by his meeting in the Vatican with María Corina Machado, leader of the Venezuelan opposition. The current Nobel Peace Prize winner has asked the pontiff to intercede for the release of more than a thousand Venezuelan political prisoners and for the advancement without delay of the transition to democracy in Venezuela.
Machado commented that he has had “the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his follow-up on what is happening in our country”, also transmitting “the strength of the Venezuelan people who remain firm and in prayer for the freedom of Venezuela.” In addition, he has asked to “intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and missing.” It should be noted that, so far, only 17 people have been released from prison, according to figures from the Penal Forum, which does not exceed 2% of the total number of prisoners.
Meeting with Trump
The presence of the Venezuelan opposition member sheds light on her whereabouts, unknown since she received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on December 11. She is scheduled to travel to Washington to meet with Donald Trump, who described her as “kind” and disqualified her by saying that “she does not have enough respect and support to take the reins of the country at this time.” For his part, Machado offered to share the Nobel Peace Prize with Trump after achieving the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro.
The president of the United States also plans to meet with Delcy Rodríguez, current interim president of Venezuela.
