Pope's call to the US regarding Venezuela

Pope Leo XIV, during his return flight from Lebanon, made a statement on the planeIn the statement, the US administration of President Donald Trumpwas urged not to attempt to overthrow Venezuelan PresidentNicolas Maduro by using military force, withthe suggestion thatif the US wants a change in Venezuela, it would be better to achieve this through dialogue or economic pressure. Leo stated, "It would be better to pursue change through paths of dialogue or perhaps including economic pressure as a form of pressureit is better to seek paths of dialogue," he said.

Stating that the signalsgiven by the Trump administration regarding its policy toward Venezuela are unclear, the Pope said,"On one hand, it appearsthata conversation has taken place between the two presidents.On the other hand, there is a danger, there is a possibility that someactivities, some (military) operations might occur. The signals coming from the US change with a certain frequency," he said.

The Trump administration argues that Maduro plays a role in the supply of illegal drugs that cause many deaths in the country. Maduro, for his part, denies having any connection to illegal drug trafficking. Maduro states that these US initiatives are attempts to overthrow him.US troops have been deployed in the Caribbean and the Pacific since September

on the grounds of transporting drugs since that month.carrying out at least 21 attacks on boatsandkilling 83people. TheUSadministration most recently, as part of "Operation SouthernSpear," hashad deployed 11 warships and 15,000 troops to the region.