Pope Leo receives Nobel laureate and Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican amid diplomatic efforts on the country’s crisis.
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo received Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican.
The Holy See listed Machado among those granted an audience by the pontiff but provided no details about their discussion.
The meeting coincided with Italy’s announcement that two of its nationals, detained in Venezuela since November 2024, had been released.
Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been sidelined by Washington following the US intervention that ousted President Nicolas Maduro.
US President Donald Trump stated he would meet Machado this week, having previously questioned her domestic support.
In a speech to diplomats, Pope Leo recently called for Venezuela’s sovereignty to be protected.
The pontiff appealed for respect “for the will of the Venezuelan people, and to safeguard the human and civil rights of all.”
This followed President Trump’s suggestion that the US could control the South American nation for years.
The Vatican’s chief diplomat also discussed humanitarian efforts in Venezuela with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week.
