Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Venezuela priests open pro-Chavez church
A fledgling church that openly backs President Hugo Chavez is raising the ire of Venezuela's Roman Catholic hierarchy, preaching the Gospel alongside socialism. Founders of the newly created Reformist Catholic Church of Venezuela, based in the western city of Ciudad Ojeda, say that supporting Chavez's socialist ideals goes hand-in-hand with Christian aims of helping the poor. 'We don't side with any political banner, but we cannot fail to recognize and support the socialist achievements of this government,' Enrique Albornoz, a former Lutheran minister who helped start the church, said in a telephone interview on Monday. 'We back the social programs of this revolutionary government.' A group of dissident Catholic priests, Lutherans, and Anglicans quietly formed the church several years ago, but its first three bishops were sworn in last weekend, Albornoz said. The church has five sanctuaries in Venezuela and about 2,000 parishioners—most of them in the oil-rich western state of Zulia, he said. An iron-shuttered, concrete house of worship in a working-class neighborhood of Ciudad Ojeda serves as headquarters for the movement, which borrows heavily from liberation theology and the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer.
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Now Chavez has become a 21st century Henry VIII, in thatr he now heads a religion very similar to that which Henry VIII of England did in his time. This has got to be the joke of this century.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, it also has a lot in common with Islam, that it joins religion with politics. I only hope that Chavez does not place a Fatwa on me for exposing this inane idea of his. I would not mind a a Fat Wad, but Fatwa I just cannot take.
The whole situation in Venezuela now seems like a comic opera. But just look at the cast of actors and you get a good idea of the role of the stars. I only hope someone will take this script and put it to use, by making a movie.
I am very glad about this new show, it will give me few laughs to ease my dreary life.