Lawyer says Vatican grants asylum to Venezuelan government opponent

A Venezuelan government opponent who has sought refuge inside the Vatican's diplomatic mission for the last year and a half has been granted asylum by the Holy See, his lawyer said Tuesday. Lawyer Alonso Medina Roa told The Associated Press that the Vatican approved diplomatic asylum for 34-year-old Nixon Moreno, who has been holed up in the Vatican's mission in Caracas since March 2007. The former student is wanted by Venezuelan authorities on charges of attempted murder and lascivious acts against a female police officer. He denies the allegations, saying he is fleeing political persecution and his life is in danger. Medina Roa said it's now up to the government to guarantee him safe passage out of Venezuela. He said the Vatican approved asylum for Moreno in June and sent a diplomatic note to the government on the matter last month. Archbishop Giacinto Berlocco authorized Moreno to make public the granting of his asylum request on Tuesday, an official at the Vatican's mission told the AP. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she didn't have permission to speak publicly about the issue. Moreno finished his studies in political science while holed up in the Vatican mission. The charges against him stem from violent student protests in 2006 in the Andean city of Merida. Students called the protests after the Supreme Court suspended elections at the University of the Andes for posts then held by student leaders sided with President Hugo Chavez's government. Moreno, a government opponent, had been seen as a favorite for the elections.