Venezuelan government accused of using smear tactics against the Church

The Venezuelan government has been accused of attempting to smear the Catholic Church as part of a tactic to keep beleaguered President Nicolas Maduro in power.

With Venezuela’s economic crisis biting hard on the lives of ordinary citizens, the Church has increasingly become a lifeline for those struggling to gain everyday supplies. Meanwhile, the political opposition is continuing in its attempts to oust Mr Maduro from power via a referendum. Now, however, after the Maduro administration announced a delay to the much-sought poll, senior Churchmen have revealed that a false social media account is working to damage the Church’s standing.

Bishop Mario del Valle Moronta Rodríguez said that a Twitter account claiming to communicate on behalf of the Church is false. He called on Twitter to immediately suspend the account. Meanwhile, Bishop Ramon Ovidio Pérez Morales posted on his own Twitter feed: “Church attacked on several fronts: irruptions in homes, network cloning, media attacks. Objective: undermine credibility.”

The bishop warned Venezuelans to “be ready for a campaign to discredit the Church as well as attacks on persons and structures”.

Latest reports from Venezuela indicate that as things become more desperate demonstrators have begun demanding a referendum.