Over the past 11 years of President Nicolas Maduro’s leadership, Venezuelan religious leaders have increasingly practiced a form of self-censorship when it comes to preaching or speaking on topics like social justice, peace, poverty, or any topic that might be perceived negatively by the dictatorship. While they may appear to have imposed this censorship on themselves, it comes from a very real fear having witnessed the cruelty that President Maduro has unleashed against those he and his regime identify as political enemies.
Elections are due to be held on Sunday, 28 July. In the run up, the Maduro regime has dedicated itself to attacking the opposition and creating an environment of terror with warnings of a ‘bloodbath’ and ‘civil war’ if Maduro does not win a third six-year term. It has been heavily implied that he could refuse to recognize the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, the most popular candidate according to several polls.
In response to Maduro’s threats, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) warned that ‘this type of discourse by the highest authority of the State and the security forces has the effect of intimidating and curtailing the political freedom of the electorate… These actions affect democratic institutions and the freedoms of association, assembly, and expression, as they discourage the political participation of opposition individuals, their electorate, and the general public.’
Even as Maduro works to instil fear in his enemies, he simultaneously attempts to manipulate pastors, encouraging them to engage in supportive political proselytism in exchange for economic benefits. The Protestant Christian population represents 30.9% of the total population of Venezuela, and Maduro has not hesitated to create and promote programs to secure their vote. According to the pollster ORC Consultores 34% of the Protestant vote is currently likely to go to Maduro and another 20% to González. While, according to analysts, the Protestant vote does not add significant numbers to the overall contest, it would be enough to keep Maduro in power and this level of support also and serve to bolster the regime’s claim that it guarantees freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and other rights.
However, if Maduro loses, it will end 25 years of the Bolivarian Revolution initiated by Hugo Chávez. This change would greatly benefit the religious sector, which has lowered its voice, either failing to denounce the regime’s abuses due to fear of retaliation or seeing no choice but to accept to the government’s financial support in order to keep their congregations alive. ‘Despite the benefits, evangelical1 pastors fear for their lives or those of their congregants and refrain from preaching what the Bible says out of fear that the regime will attack them through its criminal organizations. Their hearts are not with Maduro, but they support his revolutionary movement out of the fear they experience,’ a pastor told CSW, requesting anonymity.
These pastors are assisted by the “Good Pastor Bonus,” a program launched in June 2023, and the “My Well-Equipped Church” plan, by which the government provides equipment and funds solely to Protestant pastors and their churches, discriminating against other religious groups. In May this year, Maduro announced the inclusion of 20,000 new pastors who would receive 495 bolivars monthly, equivalent to 14 US dollars, a not insignificant amount in extremely impoverished areas.
On 15 June, Maduro declared a “Day of Repentance in Christ and Day of Hope” involving a public ceremony asking God to forgive sin in general terms. Only a few days later, Gricelia Josefina Solórzano Malpica, pastor of the Evangelical Pentecostal Missionary Church “El Aposento Alto” in San Fernando de Apure, was accused of generic embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, aggravated larceny, misappropriation or diversion of assets, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Pastor Solórzano’s case was sent to the Terrorism Court in Caracas, and she was later detained in the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), known for numerous cases of arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial executions. Her arrest was political. Colonel Ramón Alonso Carrizalez Rengifo accused the religious leader of being one of those responsible for losing the internal elections of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) when she was the administrator of the Legislative Council of the state of Apure (CLEA), a position she held from 2008 to 2013. The arrest orders came from Diosdado Cabello, the second most powerful person in the Bolivarian Revolution and a close friend of Colonel Carrizalez.
‘This type of case would go unpunished if Maduro perpetuates his Bolivarian Revolution in power,’ a pastor based in Apure told CSW.
Rule of law and the right to a fair trial no longer exists in Venezuela. In a sample of 183 cases that could constitute crimes against humanity, the Independent International Expert Panel of the Organization of American States (OAS) found that only 12 trials were conducted. In 52.5% of these cases, the State initiated no judicial process at all. This has established a culture of impunity leading to increased fear and reluctance to report crimes to local justice mechanisms. Religious leaders who are threatened and intimidated prefer to remain silent or, in extreme cases, emigrate.
Protestant pastors consulted by CSW agreed that even the significant number of religious leaders who have benefited from Maduro’s perks and programs live in fear, as they are under constant surveillance, and they could be attacked, arrested, or lose certain rights at any moment. A pastor from Zulia pointed to the case of four local radio stations closed in October 2022 by the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) without any explanation or prior notice as an example. Religious leaders who say the wrong thing, as interpreted by the government and its lackeys, could be treated as traitors and attacked by some of the illegal armed groups supported by the regime. This strongly discourages pastors from preaching or speaking, even in informal meetings, on topics that could be sensitive for the government.
In another example, a pastor from San Cristóbal, Táchira, told CSW: ‘After the meeting in April this year [2024], a man, dressed in civilian clothes, who was sharing with us, told me to be careful with what I said about the government because the Bible always supported Chávez and now it was with Maduro, and that I could be reported for misusing my freedom to preach to cause disorder and instability.’
However, it is important to note that not all of the Protestant sector has yielded to this pressure. The Evangelical Council of Venezuela (CEV), which represents about 40% of evangelical denominations, has clarified that it is not linked to any government program. José Piñeros, vice president of the CEV, emphasized in a YouTube broadcast that ‘it is not the role of Christian ministers to make excessive flattery or undue adulations to those in power… Rather, they should be concerned with defending other rights such as religious freedom.’
This stance has resulted in discriminatory treatment and direct attacks on members of its leadership body. Such is the case of Pastor Nelson Sevilla, who has requested the restoration of the place of worship from which he was dispossessed in 2012. His pleas have been met with silence from state bodies.
As part of this carrot and stick approach to the religious sector, Maduro has also been working to soften his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, at least at the local level, working to gain the favor of parish priests. After promoting smear campaigns, the non-renewal of residence permits to religious personnel, and promoting the prayer of ‘Our Chávez’, replacing the ‘Our Father’ of the Bible,2 in the early years of his leadership, he more recently launched programs such as ‘Beautiful Venezuela Mission,’ through which, as of February 2024, about 29,650 Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have been remodeled.
A Roman Catholic lay leader in the state of Barinas said that ‘there are also priests who have yielded to the regime’s gifts. In the midst of a context of misery and need, they see an economic way out to help the congregation, in exchange for giving credit to Maduro [for the benefits].’
A priest from the same region said that ‘since Chávez, the state has wanted to present itself as the provider god and father of all, in exchange for loyalty to the regime. Contrary to the God of the Bible, this clay god [Maduro] tortures and murders those who do not follow him.’
Pastors consulted by CSW expressed grave concern about a scenario in which case Maduro refuses to recognize the victory of González. This, many worry, could lead to a possible emigration wave of pastors and church leaders, leaving congregations orphaned. One pastor said he feared an increase in self-censorship. This, he said, would bring about a mute church that does not exercise its right to freely preach what the Bible says. ‘Pastors are afraid to preach the Gospel that speaks against the sin of tyranny, against those who receive benefits from the wicked, from those who shed innocent blood. There is fear of telling what the Bible says about those who make pacts with darkness, who create strange gods like the cult of Chávez, who manipulate the poor and take the name of God in vain in public acts used to deceive the weakest.’
For its part, on 11 July the Roman Catholic Venezuelan Episcopal Conference called on the population to vote, even amid a ‘political partiality’ by organizations that should be at the service of the people, and in light of the ‘serious crisis situation that hits the people.’
‘The vote’, they said, ‘assumes a vital importance in the current reality we live in; only by overcoming abstentionism and political apathy can we advance in the reconstruction of the country.’
By CSW’s Venezuela Desk
- In Latin America the term evangelical is often used interchangeably with the term Protestant.
- The Lord’s Prayer.