Secretary Rice and Catholic bishops…a cold relationship?

First there were the rumors that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was snubbed by the Vatican on account of her swift dismissal of the Vatican envoy sent by Pope John Paul II in 2003 to dissuade the Bush administration from waging an immoral war in Iraq. Now the Vice-President of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Roberto Lückert of Coro, is accusing Rice of lying to the public over her relations with the Venezuelan bishops. According to the archbishop, Rice lied about having had meetings with the Venezuelan bishops who supported her criticisms of Venezuela President Hugo Chávez.

El Universal reports:

Monsignor Roberto Lückert, Archbishop of Coro, Falcón state, and vice-president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference (CEV), Thursday claimed that the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lied when she said that there were meetings with Venezuelan bishops supporting her criticisms against President Hugo Chávez’ Government, Efe reported.

“This lady was way out of line when she said such things that are not true. This is a lie. I am the vice-president of the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference and I have never felt that we have been invited or asked for a hearing with the board of directors of the CEV to say what this lady claims,” Monsignor Lückert said.

The prelate told local radio station Unión Radio that the CEV board of directors met recently, and “it has not talked about the fact that the US Ambassador to Venezuela (William Brownfield) or any other US official is concerned about us. I think this lady was very clumsy” to speak otherwise, Monsignor Lückert added.

On Wednesday, Rice claimed that the Venezuelan Catholic Church was “under fire” from President Chávez and that US officials have met with Venezuelan Catholic authorities.

Rice also said democracy is under attack in Venezuela. In this connection, Lückert stressed that Chávez is trying to impose in Venezuela a political system similar to that in place in Cuba, particularly in education.

“The concept of education being implemented is that of Cuba, which involves an outrage against the provisions set forth in the Constitution as to what education should be in a democratic country, namely a free and plural education,” Lückert claimed.

Lückert has engaged in verbal clashes with Chávez. The prelate has even said he fears reprisals because of his criticisms against “the savage state-centered rule they are trying to impose in this country.”

Lest Archbishop Lückert be perceived as defending the Chávez regime, it has been reported that the archbishop has launched much public criticism of Venezuela’s president in recent months, to which the latter has responded with: “Archbishop Lückert is going to be waiting for me in hell, he is not going to heaven. He is going to hell, I am sure that he will not go to heaven, I don’t think he will go.”