Pope Francis led thousands of pilgrims in prayer as clashes in Venezuela continue due to a government decision to change the country’s constitution.
“I call for an end to the violence and that a peaceful and democratic solution may be found,” the Pope said during his Angelus address last Sunday.
Almost 100 people have died in violent demonstrations since April, and government authorities have been criticised for their use of force.
Pope Francis’ appeal for peace comes several days after Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino said the new president Nicolas Maduro’s actions are “a government war against the people.”
“Those armed gangs and state security forces have caused deaths in a truly criminal way, such as shooting firearms directly at the head or firing shotguns at close range or launching tear gas to cause deadly damage,” Cardinal Urosa said during a Mass in Caracas.
Venezuelan opposition parties have organised an unofficial referendum later this month, and have dubbed the current socialist government a dictatorship. The next presidential election is in 2018 but protestors are calling for it to be brought forward.
Cardinal Urosa expressed support for the Attorney General of Venezuela, Luisa Ortega Díaz, who is the highest ranking government official to publicly oppose President Maduro.
She has denounced human rights violations against protestors and attempted to remove judges loyal to Maduro.
