Leo XIV meets with María Corina Machado: Nobel Prize Laureate asks him to intercede for political prisoners

Pope Leo XIV met Monday with María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, at the Vatican. During the private meeting, the Venezuelan leader asked the pope to intercede for the release of the more than 1,000 political prisoners and for the advancement of the transition to democracy in Venezuela.

"Today I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his continued support of what is happening in our country. I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people who remain steadfast and in prayer for the freedom of Venezuela, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and disappeared," Machado said.

Likewise, Machado maintained that the struggle for Venezuela's freedom is also a spiritual issue. She assured, according to the official note of the visit, "that finally, with the accompaniment of the church and the unprecedented pressure from the government of the United States, the defeat of evil in the country is closer."

After this meeting, the leader was also able to talk with Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See and former Nuncio to Venezuela (2009-2013).

Meanwhile, after the operation to capture the Venezuelan dictator, the pope said that "the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail above any other consideration and lead to overcome violence and embark on paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the country."

In addition, he called for "building together a serene future of collaboration, stability and concord, with special attention to the poorest people who are suffering because of the difficult economic situation."