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Justice and Peace of Spain with the people of Venezuela and the Ecclesial Justice and Peace Network of Patria Grande

07/01/2026

To our sister organisations in the Latin American Ecclesial Network for Justice and Peace, and in particular to the Church and the Justice and Peace Commission of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people in general, as well as to the organisations in that country and throughout the Patria Grande that work tirelessly to defend the right to sovereignty and integrity of peoples, their efforts to defend the right to manage their own resources and to continue contributing to the consolidation of a continent as a zone of peace and non-violence, we express our deep solidarity in the search for bridges that consolidate the rights and dignity of people, as well as respect for their political, economic and territorial sovereignty.

We reiterate, as we have done through the statements issued by the various platforms to which we belong, our commitment to dialogue, multilateralism and a culture of peace as tools for conflict resolution. We believe that the Charter of the United Nations, international human rights law and the International Court of Justice are the appropriate bodies for resolving conflicts between countries and preventing armed conflict. We therefore reject any violent interference in the sovereignty and resources of a country, such as that carried out on 3 January by the US government against Venezuela.

From the social doctrine of the Church, we reaffirm that:

  • Peace is the fruit of justice and cannot be imposed by force or through unilateral actions that contravene international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the fundamental principles of coexistence among peoples.
  • Any form of armed intervention that does not respect international law, the self-determination of peoples, and multilateral mechanisms for conflict resolution is morally unacceptable and ethically reprehensible.
  • It is essential to prioritise dialogue, mediation, and peaceful solutions, placing the common good, the protection of human rights, and urgent attention to the most vulnerable people at the centre.
There are no shortcuts to peace. Peace is built on peace itself, dialogue, respect for international agreements and, above all, justice for the most impoverished and those who suffer the consequences of violence, instability and the breakdown of law and order. It is never built on violence, whatever form it may take. As Monsignor Jesús González de Zárate Salas, president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference, points out: "It is the same hope that has been repeatedly expressed throughout the difficult years we have had to live through: that of being able to respond to our problems in peace, with the participation of all and in accordance with the Constitution and the democratic values we have chosen as a society". "Respect and dignity for the person, tolerance and mutual understanding, the search for the common good, the validity of democratic values. These are not easy paths to follow, and we have experienced this in recent years".


Permanent Council GCJP