A prominent theme in the meetings of the Venezuelan Episcopate in recent years has been that of the national refoundation. It highlights the radical nature and global nature of the current crisis and, above all, the dimension of commitment and the tasks that lie ahead.
Among the most outstanding features of the serious crisis in the country, the disagreement between Venezuelans has been identified and correlatively, as a priority factor for a reconstruction, their reunion, with all that this implies of openness, courage and availability.
The human being, created as social, can be defined as «being-for-the other», for meeting, sharing, communication and communion. In this sense, participation and solidarity are ethically imperative, expressions of his inescapable social commitment. This is located in the antipodes of the egocentric model quite common in modernity.
As factors of disagreement, the bishops have highlighted some of a socioeconomic, political and cultural nature, which make up a fractured country. Among them are the inequity reflected in the growing poverty and the disaster of public services for the vast majority of the population, together with “bubbles” of well-being of privileged circles and power elites; the scandalous forced emigration; the intimidation of the dissidence and the hundreds of political prisoners and tortured; communicational hegemony; the control of significant parcels of the territory by irregular armed groups and rampant corruption. These facts go beyond the material, technical and administrative aspects, since they reflect a serious decomposition in the ethical and spiritual field. These are data that, assumed in moral and religious coordinates, can be unequivocally classified as sins, since they contradict the purpose of the divine creative and saving plan.
For an effective refoundation of the country, the reunion of us Venezuelans is essential; common task from which no one, large or small, can consider themselves excluded, nor consider that the reconstruction of Venezuela is a task only for the government, businessmen and political or cultural leaders. There is a key triad in the Social Doctrine of the Church to build the common good: solidarity, participation and subsidiarity. Along these lines, “democracy” must be understood not simply in terms of representative government of the people, but, primarily, as a joint work of all citizens. Pope Francis has been highlighting theoretically and practically a category that requires shared leadership in the Church and from it in society: synodality, which etymologically means walking together, sharing in reflection and action.
The pairing of 2023 and 2024 constitutes a serious challenge for us Venezuelans in terms of refoundation and reunion. We are facing a primary-presidential election process. Engagement has to start vigorously now. The reconstitutionalization -involved in the reconstruction work- must be carried out in different ways, but it affects everyone: the official sector, leaders of both partisan organizations and civic institutions in general, citizens without exception. Popular sovereignty, enshrined in Article 5 of the Constitution, must be made visible and effective. The bishops in the Assembly that is ending have stressed conditions that enable the sovereign people to genuinely act as such: a climate of authentic freedom, cessation of intimidation and repression of individuals and groups, restructuring of the National Electoral Council in accordance with the Magna Carta (see especially articles 294-296), release of political prisoners and the media, independent international oversight. Sensitivity and reflection of the needs and hopes of the people are required of the opposition and dissidence, as well as service, agreement and union in what they expect from their leaders.
Venezuela does not have a prosperous future without a national reunion. God created us to find ourselves. And meet again He himself is encounter.
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