CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — The Roman Catholic Church weighed in yesterday on Venezuela's political crisis, with Pope Francis expressing deep concern and calling for dialogue in the wake of a disputed presidential election.
President Nicolas Maduro and Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles both welcomed the pope's statement on their Twitter accounts, while sidestepping the call for a dialogue.
"It's necessary to resolve this crisis. The tone has to be lowered," Cardinal Jorge Urosa, the head of the Venezuelan church, said in an interview with the Ultimas Noticias daily, offering to help arrange a dialogue.