Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Caracas (Agenzia Fides) – The Bishops of the President's Office of the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference have shown their “sorrow and dismay at the violation of the sacred area and the profanation of the most cherished religious symbols of the Jewish faith on Saturday, January 31, in the Synagogue of Mariperez in Caracas,” in a statement issued on February 4.
“This unprecedented event in our nation's history,” the statement said, “is far from the spirit of tolerance and acceptance that is characteristic of the Venezuelan people; furthermore, it goes against the fundamental and sacred right upheld in our Constitution, that every person has, to religious freedom.”
The Bishops mention that “no person or religious group should be coerced or threatened in their religious actions, against their own conscience, nor be prevented from teaching or professing their faith in public.” Furthermore, “it is the obligation of civil authorities to protect and promote this right, among with the other inviolable rights of man.”
They then express their closeness and solidarity to all the members of the Jewish community of Caracas and Venezuela, assuring them also of their prayer. “May violence and intolerance give way to harmony and dialogue among all our nation's citizens no matter their ethnic origin, race, or credence,” the statement concludes.
In a curious paradoxical turn of events, while the press conference presenting this statement was taking place, the Apostolic Nunciature suffered yet another attack. “Two persons on a motorcycle approached the Nunciature and launched three tear-gas bombs, two landing and exploding in the external area and the third landing and exploding in the interior patio of the diplomatic headquarters,” a statement from the Apostolic Nunciature said. The statement also affirmed that “the three bombs, in exploding, emitted extremely toxic gases, which affected the people in the area, leading them to immediately evacuate the area so as to avoid the harmful effects of the toxic material.”
The Nunciature has expressed its “rejection and displeasure for these acts of violence,” and has reiterated its appeal to the “competent authorities to take necessary measures in guaranteeing security and safety for the diplomatic headquarters and its personnel, as established in the Vienna Convention, April 18, 1961.”
The act is similar to the one that occurred on January 19 (see Fides 21/1/2009), when unidentified persons launched 5 tear-gas bombs in the same place, although this time the bombs have been of higher impact. This is now the seventh attack on the Apostolic Nunciature in the past few months. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 05/02/2009)
