Pope Leo XIV had a meeting this January 12 with Venezuelan political leader and human rights advocate Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican. Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, met with the Pope as her country faces a period of political uncertainty and social fragility.
According to her party, the meeting focused above all on the situation of political prisoners in Venezuela and the need to safeguard fundamental human rights.
Authorities in Venezuela have announced the release of a number of political prisoners, a step that many see as a tentative sign of openness.
The papal audience came just days after the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas during a U.S. military operation. Maduro, accused by U.S. authorities of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, is currently detained in the United States.
The sudden collapse of his personal security apparatus, which reportedly included Cuban officers, has underscored the volatility of the moment and the risks of further violence in a country already marked by years of grave crisis.
A call for peace and human dignity
In the days following these events, the Vatican has adopted a tone of caution and moral clarity. During the Angelus address on January 4, Pope Leo XIV said he was following developments in Venezuela with a “deep sense of concern.”
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over any other consideration,” the Pope said, calling for a rejection of violence in favor of “paths of justice and peace,” while also insisting on respect for national sovereignty.
He stressed the importance of respecting the human and civil rights of all and urged Venezuelans to work together toward a future marked by stability and social harmony, with particular attention to the poorest, who continue to suffer under the weight of a prolonged economic crisis.
The Pope reiterated these themes a few days later in his address to the diplomatic corps, urging the international community to support solutions rooted in justice, truth, freedom, and fraternity.
The Pontiff also expressed concern over the weakening of international norms designed to limit the use of force between nations, warning that such principles, established in the aftermath of the Second World War, must not be treated as optional.
A contested figure, a fragile transition
Maria Corina Machado leads the party Vente Venezuela and has long been a prominent voice against the Chavista movement.
Barred from running in the July 2024 presidential election, she has remained a central figure for many Venezuelans who hope for democratic change. Her Nobel Peace Prize, awarded for her nonviolent advocacy and defense of human rights, has further raised her international profile.
Machado traveled to Oslo in December to receive the Nobel distinction, though she arrived after the formal ceremony.
Her meeting with Pope Leo XIV forms part of a broader diplomatic effort to draw attention to Venezuela’s humanitarian and political situation at a moment when its future leadership remains unclear.
For now, the country is being led on an interim basis by Delcy Rodríguez, formerly vice president under Maduro, as discussions continue about a possible transition supported by the international community, the US in capite.
In receiving Maria Corina Machado, Pope Leo XIV placed the Vatican’s emphasis squarely on the dignity of the Venezuelan people — and on the hope that justice, peace, and respect for human rights might guide the country through an uncertain chapter of its history.