Pope Leo XIV, on Monday, received Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina Machado, in the Vatican, without disclosing details of the meeting.
Machado has been touring Europe.
She reappeared publicly in December after spending 11 months in hiding to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
After the U.S. military’s lightning raid to capture Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, in Caracas on January 3, the Pope had called for Venezuela’s sovereignty to be respected and said that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.”
The first Pope from the U.S. also said he was following developments in the South American country with deep concern.
Machado, widely seen by supporters as a leading hope for political change in Venezuela, praised U.S. President Donald Trump for his military intervention, in spite of accusations that he broke international law.
After Maduro’s arrest, Trump expressed scepticism about Machado’s suitability as a successor, saying she did not have the necessary support or respect within Venezuela to govern it.
Recently, however, he has said a meeting with her could be in the works.
Speaking on Fox News late last week, Trump said he had heard Machado would be arriving in the U.S. sometime this week and that he looked forward “to saying hello to her”.
