Farooque Chowdhury
The following news-report by Fox News says:
“On New Year’s Day, priests across Venezuela reportedly were instructed by Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, the archbishop of Caracas, to read […] a text during the homily encouraging parishioners to take a stand for democracy and not be intimidated by the socialist rule of Nicolas Maduro.”
The January 4, 2017 datelined news-report says:
“Spanish newspaper ABC reported that the Vatican itself is encouraging the Catholic Church’s involvement in Venezuela’s acute financial and humanitarian crisis.
“The text of the homily was sent by the Vatican, according to the paper.”
The news-report headlined “Priests in Venezuela reportedly instructed to give anti-Maduro homily” adds:
“In last Sunday’s homily, priests across the country referred to a ‘real dictatorship situation’ and urged Venezuelans ‘to put all their efforts into stopping the advance of the dictatorship and to eradicate it in a democratic way.’
“The extreme shortage of food and medicines, the text read, is caused by ‘an erroneous economic system, a socialist totalitarianism that gives government a total control of the economy.’”
It says:
“Vatican-sponsored talks between the two sides stalled last month after the opposition said they would not attend any further meetings unless more concessions were made by the government.”
The January 4, 2017 datelined and “La llamada de la Iglesia a rebelarse tensa aún más su relación con Maduro” headlined original ABC-report by its Caracas correspondent Ludmila Vinogradoff says:
“El llamamiento de la Iglesia catolica venezolana para que se celebren elecciones y sean liberados los presos políticos, como salida a la crisis generalizada que atraviesa el país, ha tensado aún más sus ya difíciles relaciones con el Gobierno de Nicolás Maduro. El Arzobispado de Caracas instó a sus feligreses a rebelarse contra la «dictadura» de forma «pacífica y democrática», en las homilías pronunciadas en las misas del pasado domingo.
“Los sacerdotes leyeron la homilía del cardenal Jorge Urosa, «Año nuevo en paz y familia», orientada desde la Santa Sede, en la que se aborda la crítica situación económica, política y social que vive Venezuela. La Iglesia católica venezolana califica de «dictadura» el régimen de Maduro por bloquear la Asamblea Nacional, de mayoría opositora desde las legislativas del 6 de diciembre de 2015.”
The news-report presents serious information if the news-report is factual, if there’s no fabrication in the news-report, if it’s not part of disinformation campaign against the forward march by the people in Venezuela: (1) With the beginning of 2017, at least a part of Holiness has formally begun its war against the people’s effort to build up a secured and dignified life in Venezuela; (2) with this call, onslaught on the people’s initiative has formally been initiated; (3) at least a part of Holiness has formally taken stand in favor of the propertied interests, which feels its better days of appropriation, loot, speculation, squandering and pillaging are facing resistance; (4) at least a part of Holiness has thrown away all shrouds of its original class allegiance, publicly and formally taken political stand, and formally and publicly joined the camp opposite to the people in the class war now going-on in Venezuela.
The reported instruction of Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, and the report that the Vatican is encouraging the Catholic Church’s involvement, and the text of the homily was sent by the Vatican are nothing but open political move by the part of Holiness. Now, if the report is not false, the part has begun acting openly as a political organization, has openly joined the alliance being fed by imperialist bosses, and has openly become part of the imperialist intervention process in Venezuela.
This role by the part is not new. It’s neither new in Latin America nor new in the world. Readers are aware of the part’s collaboration with Latin American tyrants-murderers-robbers. Readers are aware of the part’s role in Poland. The part’s fuelling of the Gdansk shipyard union led by Walesa is not a forgotten chapter of history.
But has the part ever issued any call to rise up against a system based on exploitation, based on appropriation of surplus labor, based on lies and deception? Has the part ever issued any call to rise up against a system having not an iota of honesty and moral standing? Has the part ever issued any call to resist imperialist intervention? Has the part ever issued any dictum that says: imperialism has no authority to violate people’s right to determine their way of living, their political and economic systems in all parts of the world, has no authority to intervene with, to trample political system in any country? Has the part ever issued any call that exposes corruption, political and financial, of the Brazilian elites, that calls upon the people in Brazil to revolt against the robbing scheme the Brazilian elites are now implementing? Has the part ever, in its total history, issued any call to extend health care system to the neglected, the forgotten, the citizens the rich consider non-existent in Venezuela, in Bolivia, in Brazil, in Honduras, in Africa? Was there any call ever issued by the part to provide safe housing to the poor in Venezuela, to dismantle the system that allows the Venezuelan rich to keep their mysteriously gotten land fallow for the sole purpose of speculation in the land market – higher and higher profit? Nay, nay, nay, the only answer facts produce. But were not children dying in these countries? Were not innocent people claiming rightful rights were murdered? Don’t two of the Ten Commandments say: Thou shalt not kill and Thou shall not steal? Doesn’t the rich class steal, don’t the imperialists kill? The system of profit survives by killing toilers, the poor, the laboring people.
Now, with the reported call the part has also begun another process: delegitimizing itself. It’s simple dialectics, the process idealists verbally ignore, but faithfully go by its rules in their material transactions including pocketing profit. The process of delegitimizing self by the part will get stronger and more vibrant the more class struggle sharpens, the more people educate themselves politically, the more mobilizations of people are organized, the more earthly issues of exploitation and class rule are discussed, the more superficial issues are thrown away from tables of discussion, the more class line is followed.
The part issuing the reported call to stand for democracy has not identified the question: Democracy for whom? Is it for the democracy of ravaging capital or for people? Is it the democracy of tyrants, tyranocracy, or of the toilers? No democratic system is class-neutral. But bourgeois academia and media never cite the fact although many prestigious mainstream studies have found the fact. And, sadly, this fact is also not told unequivocally and boldly by a part of scholars sitting in the camp of the people.
The part’s reportedly formal call is not new. It’s ingrained in its laughingly mystic character. Many years ago, it was written in the very first paragraph of the Communist Manifesto: the pope, the tsar, Metternich, Guizot, police have entered into a holy alliance against the toilers’ political fight. This world is still being ruled by these forces. Souls and pall bearers of Metternich and Guizot are very active, and are increasingly taking an offensive position. So, the toilers’ fight is still alive. It’s alive in Venezuela, in Brazil, in lands across oceans. And, the reported call, a provocation, is incapable of wiping out class struggle. So, the people’s fight in Venezuela, in all lands will continue.
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