Pope Leo receives the Venezuelan politician and activist in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
At the end of a Monday morning filled with meetings at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV received Maria Corina Machado, the former member of the Venezuelan National Assembly who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025.
Maduro’s capture on January 3
The meeting took place about 10 days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores during the U.S. military operation known as “Operation Absolute Resolve” on January 3 in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
Maduro, accused of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism, is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, United States.
A Venezuelan politician and human rights activist, Machado leads the liberal-conservative party “Vente Venezuela”, which has always opposed Maduro’s government. Forced to flee the country, she traveled to Oslo in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
This week—while Venezuela is being governed on an interim basis by Delcy Rodríguez, and while work is underway on a transition supported by the international community (news has also emerged in recent days of the release of several political prisoners)— Machado is expected in Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump, according to statements made by him.
The Pope and Maria Corina Machado (@Vatican Media)
The Pope’s appeals for Venezuela
During his Angelus address on January 4 – the day after Maduro’s capture, during which about 80 people, including Venezuelan and Cuban military personnel and civilians, were killed – Pope Leo said he was following developments in Venezuela “with deep concern.”
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration. This must lead to the overcoming of violence, and to the pursuit of paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country,” the Pope had said from the window of the Apostolic Palace.
He had called for the respect of “the human and civil rights of each and every person” and to work “together to build a peaceful future of cooperation, stability and harmony, with special attention to the poorest who are suffering because of the difficult economic situation.”
Pope Leo reiterated his appeal during the January 9 meeting with the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See. Referring to Venezuela, he urged efforts to build “a society founded on justice, truth, freedom and fraternity, and thus enable the nation to rise from the grave crisis that has afflicted it for so many years.”
He also invited all to “respect the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of stability and concord.”
The Pope and Maria Corina Machado (@Vatican Media)
