How Can Venezuela Be Saved?

Last Saturday more than 7,000 Catholics from Caracas (of every age and “color”) gathered at the United Nations Park for the closing of the Continental Evangelizing Mission and the enthronement of the Virgin of Coromoto as Patroness of Caracas.

There we saw a strengthened and vigorous Church in Caracas, which in recent years has gone out into the streets (day and night) and has managed to catechize children, young people and adults. This patient, ant-like work by our Cardinal, auxiliary bishops and priests has borne fruit: today we find thousands of Catholics renewed in their apostolic zeal.

All across the park we found delegations with hundreds of representatives from the parishes of Catia, Antímano, 23 de Enero, Petare, Baruta, Chacao and so on. What was most astonishing about the event was the number of people from working-class neighborhoods who were there, having come on their own.

The experience of the Nazarene in our city this year was unique. At this gathering we had the joy of hearing the testimony of a former spiritist from Propatria who said he had even performed sacrifices. In the church of Santa Teresa he came face to face with the Nazarene, and his conversion followed: “I was at the lowest of the low, and the Church, which is now my family, pulled me out of there. I’ve been baptized, I make my First Communion next week, and I’m persuading my wife to get married in the Church soon.” I cannot describe the happiness this man radiated. One of the aims of the Mission was to reach those who are furthest away, and so it has been, and so it will continue to be.

In his homily the Cardinal strongly defended human dignity. He told us that there is very strong intolerance toward Catholics in the air and a great moral relativism. He expressed his total rejection of the “emergency contraceptive,” which is abortifacient, and said that “it is a disgrace to medical science that people lent themselves to making this pill and that our health authorities have allowed it to be sold freely in pharmacies.” The park shook with applause when he said this, and he invited all Venezuelans to read the excellent statement by the Bishops’ Commission for the Family and Childhood on the emergency contraceptive pill, which explains scientifically that this “contraceptive” is an abortion pill and that this is also punishable under Venezuelan law. You can read the full statement at this link: (http://www.cev.org.ve/noticias\_det.php?id=3741)

What we experienced last Saturday reinforces once again our certainty that our country can indeed be saved, because there are a great many people working “silently and tirelessly” in every part of Caracas (and of Venezuela), defending values and laying strong foundations on which we can build a great country for our children and grandchildren. Because it is useless to change people if we do not have firm foundations rooted in the Truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

But all of us Catholics must follow our Church’s call and do as the Cardinal told us in his homily: “Go throughout Caracas, to every barrio, every neighborhood, every school and university and every media outlet, passing on the pure Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And for this we must have, as Bishop Castro said in his earlier remarks, excellent Formation in our Faith.

I close with these words from the Cardinal: “Let us live the joy of our Faith, proclaiming it and defending it without Fear, without complaining! This is the victory that conquers the World: our FAITH! So: Do Not Be Afraid! Let us entrust ourselves to our Blessed Virgin of Coromoto, who is now also Patroness of Caracas. Let us trust in God. Let us open our hearts to Jesus Christ, to build a Church full of apostolic zeal, active and united, present and in solidarity especially with those most in need. God is with us! With Him and with the Virgin of Coromoto, let us put out into the deep, my dear brothers and sisters, to build a Homeland where Justice and Peace reign!”