CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with Pope Francis on a trip abroad amid growing political tensions in the South American nation, the Vatican confirmed Monday.
The Vatican said the pope wanted to continue offering his help in resolving the problems afflicting Venezuela in hopes of creating greater trust among the parties.
According to a Vatican statement, the pope urged Maduro to courageously take the path of “sincere and constructive dialogue” to alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people, above all the poor. He urged Maduro to promote a climate of renewed social cohesion that would allow everyone to look to the future with hope.
Venezuela’s Information Minister Ernesto Villegas had earlier confirmed via Twitter that the pair was going to meet, but provided no additional details.
The stop at the Vatican comes amid a tense standoff in Venezuela over the suspension of a recall referendum campaign seeking Maduro’s removal and the opposition-controlled congress’ declaration that the government had carried out a coup.