(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 01.12. 2026).- At the end of the morning of Monday, January 12, Pope Leo XIV received Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of the Venezuelan Opposition, Maria Corina Machado, in a private audience at the Vatican.
According to sources close to Machado, during the audience the Venezuelan leader asked the Pope to intercede for the release of the more than one thousand political prisoners and for progress in the transition to democracy in Venezuela.
«Today I had the blessing and the honour of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his following of what is happening in our country. I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people, who remain steadfast and in prayer for the freedom of Venezuela, and I asked him to intercede for all the Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and [have] disappeared,» said Machado.
Maria Corina Machado also expressed to the Pope the importance of the civic demonstration carried out by Venezuelans on July 28, 2024, which reaffirmed the legitimacy of President Edmundo González Urrutia. She highlighted the spiritual struggle that Venezuelans have faced for years and stated that finally, with the support of the Church and the unprecedented pressure from the United States Government, the defeat of evil in the country is closer than ever. After the audience with the Pope, Maria Corina Machado spoke with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State and Nuncio in Venezuela from 2009 to 2013.
The meetings took place hours after hundreds of Venezuelans demanded in Masses, Vigils, and protests across the country, the release of citizens held in various torture and detention centers. So far, only 17 people have been confirmed freed, according to figures from the Criminal Forum, which represents less than 2% of the total number of prisoners.
