Venezuelan prelates defied pope over efforts to oust Chavez, cables show

[Judi Lynn]

Tuesday, Jun. 21, 2011
Venezuelan prelates defied pope over efforts to oust Chavez, cables show
By KEVIN G. HALL - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — Pope John Paul II, who was fast-tracked for sainthood earlier this year, ordered Venezuela's clergy to stay out of efforts to topple President Hugo Chavez nearly 10 years ago but Venezuela's church hierarchy defied him, with the encouragement of the administration of then-President George W. Bush, secret documents show.

State Department cables that WikiLeaks obtained and shared with McClatchy Newspapers and other news organizations indicate that church officials at the Vatican briefed U.S. diplomats on the pope's concerns but acknowledged that the country's Roman Catholic bishops were likely to ignore the orders.

Nearly a decade later, relations between Chavez and the church remain chilly, and the cables provide insight into how the antipathy became so deep: Catholic prelates not only were trying to unseat Chavez, but also were willing to defy directions from the pope to do so.

"The Holy See is concerned about the prospect of civil violence in Venezuela in the coming months, and the pope himself has urged the Venezuelan bishops to 'cool it' on political activism and instead to encourage dialogue," said a confidential cable that Jim Nicholson, who was then the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, sent Nov. 19, 2002, to the State Department.

More:
http://www.thestate.com/2011/06/21/1868630/venezuelan-prelates-defied-pope.html

LBN:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4892088

(My emphasis.)

[Judi Lynn]

1. Found a photo of the "historic" moment with Cardinal Ignacio Velasco and the coup President

-for-a-day, Pedro Carmona, who had dissolved the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and sent out the military to arrest and jail all of President Chavez' officials, as the _{George W. Bush}-supported pro-coup Cardinal signed his support of the armed kidnapping of the elected President, the overthrow of the elected President and the government.

http://www.vheadline.com.nyud.net:8090/graf/Velsco-carmona.jpg

[rabs]

2. Hope there is a reaction from the Vatican

when this becomes more widely known.

Not exactly kosher for Catholic prelates to defy God's representative on Earth.

But then again they belong to the ultra-conservative circle of men in robes in Cararacs.

Rec.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Completely undignfied, getting down in the gutter. It's behavior NO ONE expects from them.

That's WAY too "earthly" for a man of the Church.

It's a shock they didn't get some kind of serious trouble over that.

I'm still reeling that _{George W Bush} was pushing them to join the push for this armed coup. I guess "unethical" is par for Republicans.