Maduro says Pope Francis warned him of an American assassination plot

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced that Pope Francis, the late spiritual leader of the Catholic world, told him that Americans wanted to kill him.

Maduro stated that he learned this information during his last face-to-face meeting with the Pope in November 2016.

“A campaign is being waged against our people”

Maduro argued that the propaganda campaign conducted abroad for years against both him and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, was actually “a campaign against the Venezuelan people.”

Stating that this campaign tried to portray his country as “a nation ruled by a dictatorship,” Maduro said, “Venezuela continues to successfully develop all elements of its national defense system. Today, this system is stronger than ever, always ready to protect national sovereignty, the country’s security and independence, and to ensure peace.”

Maduro also touched upon the importance of courage in his speech, saying:

“Today, no one respects cowards; no one values the faint of heart. We honor the brave. With reason, wisdom, and courage, we are elevating our defense system to the highest level. We have two slogans: preparation for a long-term and effective popular resistance, and always remaining on the offensive for peace. We will continue to maintain peace.”

“We want to remain free and sovereign”

Maduro emphasized that his country “will continue to win peace by protecting its sovereignty.”

Addressing the Venezuelan people, Maduro asked, “Do you want to be slaves to American racist fanatics? Will we lose our freedoms and allow them to kick and shoot us as they do to immigrants in the US? Do you want us to become a colony again, for them to steal our wealth, our oil?”

Maduro concluded his words as follows:

“We will be neither slaves nor a colony! We want to remain free, sovereign, and independent today, tomorrow, and forever.”

“Venezuela and Colombia are one”

Targeting those who call for foreign powers to intervene in the country, President Maduro said, “What can you call someone who invites foreign imperialist powers to attack our country, who wants to bring war here? A patriot? No, that is a traitor.”

Additionally, Maduro touched on the historical ties between Venezuela and Colombia, stating, “We are Colombia. We are the heirs of the profound Gran Colombia founded by the liberator leader Simón Bolívar on the banks of the Orinoco River. Let Colombia know that we are a single entity, we are brothers. What happens in Colombia affects Venezuela, and what happens in Venezuela affects Colombia.”

Maduro also shared, “Two weeks ago, an officer from the Colombian army wrote to me: ‘If you touch Venezuela, you have touched Colombia.’”