Pope Leo on Tuesday urged the administration of US President Donald Trump not to try to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro through the use of military force.
Leo, the first US pope, said it would be better to try dialogue or put economic pressure on Venezuela if Washington wants to push for change there.
The Trump administration has been considering options to combat what it has portrayed as Maduro’s role in supplying illegal drugs that have killed Americans. Venezuela’s socialist president has denied any links to the illegal drug trade.
Asked during a news conference about Trump’s threats to remove Maduro by force, Leo said: “It’s better to look for ways of dialogue or maybe pressure, including economic pressure.”
The pope, flying home from a visit to Turkey and Lebanon, his first overseas trip, added that Washington should look for other ways to bring about change “if they want to do it in the United States.”
Reuters reported last month that options being considered by the US included an attempt to topple the Venezuelan leader and that the US military was ready for a new phase of operations following a massive military build-up in the Caribbean and nearly three months of attacks on suspected drug-trafficking ships off the Venezuelan coast.
In response to a journalist’s question, Leo also said that the signals coming from the Trump administration about its policy toward Venezuela are unclear.
“On the one hand, it seems that there was a conversation between the two presidents,” the pope said, referring to a phone call Trump had with Maduro last month.
“On the other hand, there is a danger, there is a possibility that there will be some activity, some (military) operation.”
“The voices coming from the United States change with some frequency,” Leo added.
Elected in May and originally from Chicago, the pope knows Latin America because he spent many years as a priest in Peru.
