As Christians, we have a moral obligation to reason objectively, and to express ourselves in the least polarizing and most conciliatory way possible.

• It is not morally acceptable to blindly follow the dictates of the extreme left or the extreme right.
• It is not morally acceptable to blindly follow any ideology.
• It is not morally acceptable to defend tyrannies that align with our ideologies, and condemn those that we do not like.
• It is not morally acceptable to feign ignorance in the face of terrible human rights violations.
• It is not morally acceptable to put politics above the dignity of people, above human rights.

Some morally justify an illegal invasion of a country to prevent a worse evil, also based on serious illegalities. Others condemn it.

The issues are complex. It is always important to maintain objectivity when evaluating similar situations with opposing parties, and not to change one’s position according to ideological convenience. At the same time, it is crucial to combine legal objectivity with a Christian spirit when faced with injustice.

Two facts:

1. The United States is not invading Venezuela for altruistic reasons. It is doing so for geopolitical and resource-related reasons.
2. Venezuela is not a democracy, but a dictatorship. Maduro never released the results of the last presidential elections. He declared himself the winner, denying Edmundo González’s victory by approximately 67%, and having also banned the candidacy of María Corina Machado.

Faced with murders, torture, egregious human rights violations, and a scarcity of all kinds of resources, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans emigrated from the country between 2014 and 2025, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the IOM, making it one of the largest population exoduses in the contemporary world. How can a Christian justify the reasons that generated this unprecedented exodus?

The US invasion of Venezuela sends a very dangerous message, violating the country’s sovereignty. We cannot lightly accept that countries invade autonomous territories and abduct people they dislike. This sets an alarming precedent.

At the same time, I can’t ignore the theory that this invasion is against the Venezuelan people. These are two separate issues. The invasion itself is one thing, and its consequences are another.

Regarding the United States’ invasion of Venezuela, which is obviously illegal, there is no unequivocal moral point. Faced with two evils, one must resort to discernment: which is worse? We neither intend nor can we resolve the issue here, and it is impossible for everyone to agree on the assessment. We must respect diverse opinions and learn from them.

Pope Leo says about Venezuela*: “The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail above any other consideration.”

The people expressed their will at the ballot box, and today they continue to do so with massive demonstrations in hundreds of cities around the world. It is interesting to note that Venezuelans are not participating in the demonstrations against the invasion. At the same time, large gatherings in various parts of the world are made up of Venezuelans, overjoyed to see the end of the dictatorship in their country, the terror, the torture, and the opening of the doors to democracy.

Every dictatorship deserves to fall, not just those on the right, nor just those on the left. All of them.

It is undeniable that if Venezuela recovers its democracy, the people will regain the power granted to them by the Constitution through the vote, freedom, and dignity; tortured political prisoners will be freed, and constitutional institutions will be restored, as required by law. In other words, the country will emerge from the hell of a brutal dictatorship to recover the human and social values ​​that a democracy fosters.

Let us make the effort to stop thinking in black and white, right and left, and to try to do it objectively (I do not at all presume to achieve it), in an authentic discernment, with moral values ​​and a Christian spirit of dialogue, as reflected in the Social Doctrine of the Church.

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* Words of Pope Leo XIII in the Angelus of January 4, 2026:

“I continue to follow the evolving situation in Venezuela with great concern. The well-being of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail above all other considerations and lead to overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the country’s sovereignty, ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each and every person, and working together to build a serene future of collaboration, stability, and harmony, with special attention to the poorest who are suffering due to the difficult economic situation. For this reason, I pray and invite you to pray, entrusting our prayer to the intercession of Our Lady of Coromoto and Saints José Gregorio Hernández and Sister Carmen Rendiles.”