WASHINGTON, January 10. /TASS/. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who heads the Holy See’s government, urged the Washington administration not to rush into military action against Venezuela in order to avoid destabilization and bloodshed, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
According to the newspaper’s sources, in late December the cardinal asked US Ambassador to the Vatican Brian Burch about Washington’s plans regarding Venezuela and sought to clarify whether the United States was pursuing a change of power in the republic. The publication notes that Parolin "had been seeking access to [US] Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the documents show, desperate to head off bloodshed and destabilization in Venezuela."
The article says the cardinal asked the administration of US President Donald Trump to offer Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro the option of leaving the country and to show "patience in nudging the strongman toward that offer." According to the publication, Parolin told Burch that Maduro could receive asylum in Russia.
The piece also cites a comment from the Holy See Press Office regarding these consultations: "It is disappointing that parts of a confidential conversation were disclosed that do not accurately reflect the content of the conversation itself, which took place during the Christmas period." The newspaper asserts that the United States discussed, through intermediaries, the possibility of Maduro leaving Venezuela and relocating to Turkey.
On January 3, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said the United States had attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas, describing Washington’s actions as military aggression. A state of emergency was subsequently declared in Venezuela. US President Donald Trump later confirmed the strikes and announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been seized and taken out of the country. They were transported to a detention facility in Brooklyn, southern New York.
On January 5, Maduro and his wife appeared before a federal court in the Southern District of New York. US authorities accuse them of involvement in drug trafficking. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.