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Pope Leo met Venezuelan opposition person and Nobel bid prize winner Maria Corina Machado on Monday (January 12, 2026), the Vatican said, but did not supply immoderate further details.
The meeting, listed among the Pope's appointments for Monday successful a regular Vatican statement, had not been included successful an earlier advisory to the property astir Pope Leo's planned docket for the day.
Leo, the first U.S. Pope, has called for Venezuela to stay an autarkic state aft the seizure by U.S. forces of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro connected the orders of President Donald Trump.
In a large foreign argumentation code connected Friday, the Pope decried the usage of military unit arsenic a means of achieving diplomatic goals and called for quality rights to beryllium protected successful Venezuela.
Ms. Machado, a erstwhile National Assembly member, was barred from moving successful Venezuela’s 2024 wide predetermination by authorities aligned with Mr. Maduro.
She backed a stand-in campaigner who was wide considered to person won the vote, though Mr. Maduro claimed victory. Ballot audits by autarkic observers showed irregularities successful the authoritative results.
