ROME, Dec. 2, 2025 (RTSG) — Pope Leo XIV came out publicly to oppose a potential invasion of Venezuela and called on the United States not to attack Venezuela, urging Washington to pursue talks instead of an invasion of Venezuelan territory. Speaking to reporters in Spanish aboard the papal flight returning from Turkey and Lebanon, the pontiff said the Holy See was working “to calm the situation” because “in these situations it is the people who suffer,” he added.
Leo described what he called mixed signals coming out of Washington. “On the one hand, it seems there has been a telephone conversation between the two presidents,” he said. He continued, “there is this danger, this possibility, that there could be an action, an operation, including an invasion of Venezuelan territory.” He added that even within an existing framework of pressure, the preferred route remains diplomacy. “I again believe it is better to seek dialogue within this pressure, including economic pressure,” Leo said, urging the U.S. to be “looking for another way”—one that de-escalates and reduces existing pressure.
The pope’s intervention fits his broader public messaging: even when acknowledging coercive tools are already in play, he has repeatedly argued that escalation and economic deprivation land hardest on the people, the civilians. In an October 2025 address for World Food Day, he condemned the use of hunger as leverage in conflict as a “cruel strategy” that denies people “the right to life,” warning against intentional denial of essential “assets” and food.
Trump pressure campaign and White House response
Leo’s comments arrive as President Donald Trump intensifies confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. On Saturday, November 29, Trump ordered the airspace above Venezuela closed, a move that triggered speculation about further action. Asked aboard Air Force One whether the closure signaled an imminent strike, Trump told reporters not to “read anything into it.” He confirmed he spoke with Maduro last week but declined to share details. On Monday, December 1, Trump met with senior military and national security officials in the Oval Office to discuss options regarding operations in Venezuela.
The White House defended its posture but did not directly engage or address the pope’s opposition. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump “has taken unprecedented action to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism.” She added: “All of these decisive strikes have been against designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country.”
Cuba denounces “madness,” warns of mass deaths
Havana, meanwhile, issued its own sharp condemnation, portraying Washington as preparing a violent intervention and expanding its military footprint across the Caribbean (which it has done extensively). Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez appealed for public resistance inside the United States, saying: “We appeal to the people of the United States to stop this madness.” He warned that “the US government could cause an incalculable number of deaths and create a scenario of violence and instability in the hemisphere that would be unimaginable,” adding that such actions would violate international law and the UN Charter.
Amid wider regional opposition
Other governments in the region have also publicly pushed back against the prospect of a U.S. military move. In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was “very concerned” about the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and indicated he intended to speak directly with President Donald Trump, warning against any military escalation in South America.
In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro condemned Washington’s posture as illegal absent UN Security Council authorization and urged Latin America and the Caribbean to say so “without fear,” stressing that Venezuela’s political crisis must be resolved internally. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has likewise rejected invasions and urged dialogue, presenting Mexico as willing to help facilitate talks rather than military pressure.
Source: Politico; Al Jazeera
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Written by Louis
