Venezuelan Authorities Block Cardinal Porras From Leaving the Country

On December 10, 2025, Venezuelan immigration officials at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía confiscated and invalidated the passport of Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas, and barred him from boarding an international flight he was to take en route to Bogotá and then Madrid for Church duties. Despite presenting his Vatican City State passport, Cardinal Porras was prevented from leaving Venezuela and was ultimately sent home without his Venezuelan passport. Officials did not provide a clear public explanation for cancelling the document, and the Venezuelan Communications Ministry declined immediate comment.

Cardinal Porras himself characterised the incident as a violation of his rights both as a citizen and as a dignitary of the Church. In comments relayed in published reports and private communications to fellow bishops, he said that the way his passport was taken and the decision to bar his travel felt “arbitrary” and “humiliating,” in a context where such actions against critics have become increasingly common. He expressed that the humiliation not only violated basic citizen rights but also sent a troubling message about freedom of movement for ecclesiastical figures.

This move comes amid longstanding strained relations between the Venezuelan government and the Catholic Church, including repeated government accusations that Church leaders are involved in political opposition. Reuters notes that the government previously accused Church leadership of conspiracy after Venezuelan Church figures urged respect for human rights and the release of political prisoners during the canonisation of Venezuelan national figures in Rome — comments that were seen as critical of the Venezuelan administration’s handling of civil liberties.

The broader pattern of tension in Venezuela has also included restrictions on Cardinal Porras in recent weeks, such as impediments to his travel within the country for pastoral duties. In late October 2025, while travelling to preside at a Mass in honour of St José Gregorio Hernández, a major military presence and unusual restrictions reportedly interfered with his journey, which Cardinal Porras described in public remarks as an example of State actions that “generate fear” and misuse of power. He said that State security forces appeared to be deployed in ways that discouraged pastoral outreach and curtailed freedom of movement for clergy.

The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference has publicly expressed concern about the government’s actions affecting Catholic leaders. In the wake of obstacles to Porras’ ministry earlier in the year, the Conference issued statements of support and solidarity with the Cardinal and called for respect for the Church’s pastoral mission. Reports indicate bishops asked authorities for clarification on the passport incident and highlighted its potential repercussions for fundamental rights and religious freedom.

Local Church Perspective and Regional Context

While the Venezuelan situation reflects tensions between Church and State within that country, the Catholic Church in the Caribbean — including the Archdiocese of Port of Spain and the Antilles Episcopal Conference — has been drawing attention to broader threats to peace and human dignity in the region. The Antilles bishops, including Archbishop Jason Charles Gordon of Port of Spain, have repeatedly emphasised the need for peaceful dialogue, respect for basic human rights, and avoidance of escalation amid heightened political and military tensions affecting the region. In statements issued in October and November 2025, the bishops warned that increased militarisation and geopolitical stress in the Caribbean and on Venezuela’s borders placed “real and immediate” strains on social and economic life and urged solutions rooted in justice and cooperation rather than force.

Archbishop Gordon, in pastoral reflections addressed to the faithful, has urged Catholics to place their trust in God’s peace rather than in fear amid geopolitical uncertainty, quoting Scripture to remind believers that Christ’s peace is not equivalent to political calm but is rooted in reconciliation, dignity, and mercy. He has likewise called for prayerful concern for all who suffer in situations of political contention, especially the poor and vulnerable, and has underscored that the Church’s focus is on human flourishing and the Gospel mission rather than partisan alignment.