Pope Leo XIV meets Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado

Pope Leo XIV meets Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the Vatican on Jan. 12, 2026. / Credit: Vatican Media Vatican City, Jan 12, 2026 / 06:50 am (CNA). Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the Vatican on Monday in an audience that was not initially included in the official schedule for the day.The meeting was added to the pontiff’s agenda in the Holy See’s noon news bulletin. The Vatican has not released any details about the audience.Machado, one of the leading figures of the Venezuelan opposition, has been a prominent voice in denouncing the institutional, economic, and humanitarian crisis facing the country.The Venezuelan politician, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in December, is also expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump this week.According to a post on X from Machado's political party, Vente Venezuela, the politician met with the pope to request his help in the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.“Today I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his attention to 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 after the meeting, according to a post on X from political organization Comando Con Venezuela.Machado also met with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin on Jan. 12, according to Comando Con Venezuela.Nicolás Maduro is being held in a New York prison after appearing before a federal judge on various charges related to drug trafficking and terrorism following his capture by the U.S. military in the early hours of Jan. 3.Delcy Rodríguez, former vice president of Venezuela, has assumed the interim presidency of the country following Maduro’s arrest.In his Angelus message on Jan. 4, Leo XIV called for full respect for the country’s national sovereignty and for the human and civil rights of its people.“It is with deep concern that I am following the developments in Venezuela,” said the pontiff, stressing that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.”The pope urged cooperation to “build a peaceful future of collaboration, stability, and harmony” and emphasized that this effort must be made “with special attention to the poorest, who suffer because of the difficult economic situation.”In his address to the diplomatic corps on Jan. 9, Leo reiterated his call to respect “the will of the Venezuelan people” and for work “to safeguard the human and civil rights of all, ensuring a future of stability and concord.”Hannah Brockhaus contributed to this report.This story was first published on ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. It was updated at 10:18 a.m. ET with the statement from Machado.