The Roman Catholic Church Is the Key Player in the Venezuela Crisis
Venezuela is in crisis. Russia and China support the Venezuelan socialist regime of Nicolás Maduro. The United States and European Union support Maduro’s opponents in the National Assembly. Both sides claim to be supporting Venezuela’s legitimate government. Some are warning that this impasse will lead to civil war.
Amid the chaos, the Catholic Church stands as kingmaker.
Pope Francis and the Venezuelan Bishops Conference have a plan to integrate Venezuela into the world’s largest trade bloc. But the endgame is to undermine the United States.
‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’
During an inflight press conference on his return from World Youth Day celebrations in Panama, Pope Francis refused to take sides on the Venezuela conflict, saying it “would be a pastoral imprudence” to do so.
Behind the scenes, however, he has played a different game.
The day before Maduro’s January 10 inauguration, the Bishops Conference declared him an “illegitimate” leader. However, Francis sent a representative to Maduro’s inauguration. On the surface, it appears that the pope and the Bishops Conference are on opposing sides. But according to Elisabetta Pique, a Vaticanologist who writes for one of Argentina’s major newspapers, the bishops had a green light from Rome to declare Maduro illegitimate.
This means the Vatican is playing the classic “good cop, bad cop” maneuver. This ploy positions Rome as the key powerbroker in Venezuela, the only mediator on good terms with both sides.
Kingmaker
Pope Francis will likely use the current crisis to resurrect a plan he tried unsuccessfully the last time Maduro was on the verge of losing power. In 2016, the Argentine newspaper Clarin reported that Vatican negotiators were trying to arrange asylum for Maduro in Cuba. Under the terms of the agreement, the Cubans would have continued receiving cheap oil from the new pro-Catholic government in Venezuela. But the deal fell through when Cuba objected.
U.S. and EU officials would love a Vatican-brokered deal that brings a pro-Western government to power in Venezuela. Russia and China would not be happy, but they don’t want a civil war to wreck their energy investments either. So they may be willing to help the Vatican talk Maduro into accepting such terms if the Venezuelan opposition can guarantee their investments. Such a deal would seemingly protect the interests of all parties by making the Vatican the kingmaker.
Lady of Kingdoms
The Bible refers to the religious and political power of a church labeled “Mystery, Babylon the Great” in Revelation 17 and the “lady of kingdoms” in Isaiah 47. The papacy was once a literal kingmaker, crowning the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and many other kingdoms. Today, the Vatican is returning to its historic role and pulling the strings in Venezuela.
By crowning pro-European leaders in Latin American nations like Venezuela, the Vatican plans to integrate Europe and Latin America into the world’s largest trade bloc. Other prophecies show that this trade bloc will mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce—literally freezing America out of world trade!
For a detailed look at how God will use a resurrected Holy Roman Empire to punish America for its sins, read “America Is Being Besieged Economically,” by Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry.
