In defiance of country’s bishops, Venezuelan dictator decrees start of Christmas season
Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela. / Credit: Eneas de Troya, Flickr Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 3, 2024 / 16:25 pm (CNA).
The leader of the Chavista (socialist) dictatorship in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced this week the beginning of the Christmas season in the country “as decreed” by his regime and despite strenuous objections from the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference.
Maduro, in the middle of a program broadcast nationwide on the government’s television channel, referred contemptuously to the bishops as “some guys in cassocks” who dared to state “that there would be no Christmas if they didn’t decree it.”
“No, mister in a cassock, you’re not decreeing anything here. Jesus Christ belongs to the people. Christmas belongs to the people and the people celebrate it whenever they want to celebrate their Christmas,” shouted Maduro, who is under numerous accusations of drug trafficking, corruption, crimes against humanity, and election fraud, which allegedly took place during the July 28 presidential election.
“Oct. 1 until Jan. 15 is the start of the Christmas season, New Year’s Eve, and welcoming in the year 2025,” he declared. Maduro closed his program with “aguinaldos,” which are traditional Venezuelan Christmas-themed songs.
Since Tuesday in Caracas, the country’s capital, Christmas trees and other decorations have appeared in several of the city’s most emblematic monuments and government buildings.
In a statement posted on Sept. 3, the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference (CEV, by its Spanish acronym) reacted to Maduro’s decree to move up the start of the Christmas season by stating that this Christian holy season “should not be used for propaganda or particular political purposes.”
“Christmas is a celebration of a universal nature that commemorates the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The manner and time of its celebration are the responsibility of the ecclesiastical authority, which ensures that the true spirit and meaning of this event of spiritual and historical richness is maintained, as it marks the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” the CEV emphasized.
The bishops also pointed out that Christmas is a time “of reflection, peace, and love, and must be respected as such” and recalled that Christmas time begins on Dec. 25 and ends on the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, every Jan. 6.
“To prepare for Christmas, the liturgy offers us the time of Advent, which this year begins on Dec. 1. These celebrations are accompanied by traditional Christmas parties and Christmas Masses,” the Venezuelan bishops concluded.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
