Role of the Catholic Church – In January 2015, Venezuela’s Catholic bishops told Pope Francis that Marxist socialism and communism are responsible for the disaster that has befallen their country. These ideas produce breadlines and destroy freedom and individual rights. The bishops went on to say that free enterprise is critically important and a new entrepreneurial spirit is needed in Venezuela. Socialism harms the poor most of all, the bishops said. The Catholic Church has been outspoken before (e.g., Breitbart), but The Truth could only find one account of the Church continuing to speak out after the statement to Pope Francis (Wall Street Journal). We could find no news stories about Monsignor Diego Padron, head of the Catholic Church in Venezuela. Has the government found a way to silence the Church? Where do things stand? What accounts for the Church’s recent silence?
In the News
- Venezuela shut down Easter week as electricity crisis deepens. Bloomberg
- 1,000 protests reported in Venezuela in first two months of 2016. Reuters
[Frustrated neighbours block a road with trash after days without water. Placard-waving nurses halt traffic to demand uniforms and medicines. Women bang pots on balconies when the lights go out. Venezuela is simmering with small-scale street protests as water and electricity services stutter, labour disputes mount, and basic food items become more scarce and expensive amid a worsening economic crisis across the OPEC nation.]
- Venezuela Supreme Court approves extension of decree powers for regime. venezuelanalysis.com
[The Supreme Court of Venezuela (TSJ) said in a statement Maduro’s request for 60 more days of special powers was constitutional, effectively paving the way for the president to pass economic legislation without the right-wing National Assembly (AN) for another two months.]
- Bodies recovered from mass grave near where 28 gold miners went missing. The Guardian [Editor’s Note – Last week, The Truth reported that the miners were allegedly murdered by a gang in search of gold, with the apparent complicity of the police and the military. The report buttresses the case that the regime is relying on the military and criminal gangs to stay in power.]
- Gangs robbing, extorting, kidnapping farmers. Fox News Latino
[Working the land has become a survival game in Venezuela, as farmers have to ride out not only an outdated socialist model and a galloping inflation, but a growing crime wave that is costing the country about 20 percent of its production output. According to the Confederation of Associations of Farmers (Fedeagro), landowners are increasingly being robbed, extorted and even kidnapped by organized gangs popping all over the country and specially in the long-forgotten provinces of central Venezuela.]
- A half-dozen newspapers stop circulating after government cuts back newsprint supplies. Fox News Latino [Editor’s Note – This is reminiscent of the old free speech chestnut ‘what if the government owned all the printing presses?’ Question for our friends in the Left wing: How can you possibly still think free speech is assured under socialism after reading this story?]
[A major regional newspaper that has survived dictatorship and hyperinflation during its 82-year run is printing its last edition as imported newsprint grows scarce in Venezuela’s crashing economy.]
A father and daughter near a supermarket in San Cristobal, Venezuela. (Getty)
- Regime issues ‘membership has its privileges’ cards to ruling party members; cash benefits have started flowing. Fox News Latino [The Truth Editor’s Note – You Lefties out there, just keep telling yourself socialism is all about income equality. If you still believe that, read Ayn Rand’s autobiographical novel ‘We the Living’ about Leninist Russia and get a slap in the face from reality: you can’t function under socialism unless you belong to the party. Income equality gets tossed to the curb under socialism in order because bribes are necessary to keep the government in power.]
Final Notes
- Another socialist regime in South America is in trouble as Brazilians rise up against the shielding of former president Lula from prosecution in corruption scandal. The New American
- Delusional Oliver Stone gives new meaning to the term ‘rose-colored glasses’ in 2014 documentary touting all the “positive changes” by ‘Mi Amigo Hugo’. Victims of Communism
[The truth is Chavez’s own policies are the ones that have brought Venezuela to the state it is in today. We only need to look at the daily news to see how Venezuela is far from being well off. To begin with, Chavez nationalized the oil industry, making it the sole supporter of the country’s economy. His continuous printing of money has made its currency worthless. His elections didn’t allow any opposition to run against him. His disregard of rule of law has left hundreds of dead and others in jail. Just to mention a few examples.]
- Book by former Venezuelan diplomat rips apart Chavez regime, exposing among other things the deliberate sowing of hatred among groups. Amazon [Editor’s Note – ‘sowing of hatred among groups….’ Sound familiar?]
Source: Original published in The Truth at Liberato.US; additional information and pictures by Bear Witness Central
