Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, speaking this Friday at an event titled "Diplomacy of Faith" alongside religious leaders from Venezuela, the United States, and Colombia, called for the program of democratic coexistence and peace, along with the Amnesty Law, to foster forgiveness among Venezuelans. "May our hearts be healed of hatred and intolerance, and may we understand that the path forward is through reconciliation among Venezuelans. With this same spirit of coexistence, brotherhood, and spirituality, may we bring blessings to other countries of the world and wish for peace for other nations."
From the Poliedro de Caracas, the acting head of state indicated that this moment in Venezuela's history represents a new moment for peace, a new moment for spirituality. "You know that we have reached very difficult times. From here, I ask for a prayer for President Maduro, for the First Lady, Cilia Flores; from here, he who is in constant prayer for our country, for our people."
“I ask all of you to lift up our hearts, our deepest spiritual souls, for peace in Venezuela, for tranquility in Venezuela, for a happy Venezuela, and let us remember the life of our Father Jesus… The Jesus who washed the feet of the sick. The Jesus who healed the wounds of the sick. The Jesus who cared for the poor. The Jesus who drove the merchants from the temple. The Jesus who sought encounter, reconciliation among brothers and sisters. I ask for forgiveness. And may that word, that life of Jesus, be our guide,” he expressed.
Likewise, the interim president asked for prayers for relations between Venezuela and the United States. "I ask for prayers here so that relations between the people of the United States and Venezuela may also be characterized by coexistence, respect, and cooperation, on a path where legality prevails, where there is profound respect for Venezuela's independence, where Venezuela is free from sanctions, where our people can flourish, where the country and its economy can breathe, where prosperity reaches the most humble, and that the life of Jesus guides our path to care for the poorest and most vulnerable, that our healing hand may reach them, that the care we all offer as Venezuelan brothers and sisters may reach those who need it most."
“I am not praying for myself, I am praying for Venezuela, I am praying for the people of Venezuela, I am praying for peace in Venezuela, I am praying for tranquility in Venezuela, for social happiness in Venezuela, I am praying for love among Venezuelans. That is why I have come here. To pray with you, as we begin Holy Week, and that the life of Christ may guide us (…) May all the trials that Jesus endured as the Son of God in His kingdom guide our actions, that they may be guided by kindness. And I recognize in the Venezuelan people the kindness that resides in their hearts, and I pray that this kindness may protect our entire country (…) Truly, may hatred cease, may intolerance cease, may extremism cease, may radicalism cease, and let us seek a common path so that we may be a country as our liberators dreamed,” said the acting president.
Rodríguez emphasized that this Holy Week should be a time of spiritual reflection, a time for encountering Jesus and for prayer. “Let us go together, brothers and sisters, let us go together, as we are, to meet God, to encounter the word of Jesus, and may this allow us to rediscover ourselves and overcome all the difficulties facing our nation. May we reaffirm our historic struggle for independence, the one we inherited from our liberator, and may we also pray for peace in the world. We ask this from Venezuela. Amen,” he concluded.
Evangelical Christian religious authorities awarded the acting president a distinction from the Body of Christ, in recognition of her role as the first woman in republican history to assume the highest office in the country.
At the ceremony, Rodríguez was accompanied by evangelical Christian representatives from the country, as well as Pastor Ramiro Abel Peña JR, leader of the Cristo Rey Baptist Church in Waco (USA), and Pastor Roosvelt Fonseca, main leader of the Christian Life Mission Church (Colombia-USA).
