Pope LEO XIV meets with Venezuelan opposition leader MARÍA CORINA MACHADO at the Vatican

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 - Pope Leo XIV met with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado at the Vatican on Monday, in an audience that was not initially included in the official schedule for the day.

The Vatican announced that the meeting on Monday, January 12, took place in the library of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

In a brief video clip released by the Vatican, the two were seen shaking hands and smiling as they sat at the pope's desk in his official office in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace.

In a statement published on X by the Venezuelan political opposition coalition, Comando con Venezuela, Machado said she sought the pope’s help in seeking the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners “and for an immediate transition to democracy.”

“Today, I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his monitoring of events in our country,” Machado said. “I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people, who remain firm and in prayer for Venezuela’s freedom, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and missing.”

According to the statement, the opposition leader reiterated to the pope that the will of the Venezuelan people was seen in their electing Edmundo González, whose victory in the 2024 election was overturned by the Venezuelan election authority, which was loyal to Maduro.

“Machado highlighted the spiritual struggle Venezuelans have faced for years and said that finally, with the accompaniment of the Church and unprecedented pressure from the U.S. government, the ‘defeat of evil’ in the country is drawing near,” the statement read.

Comando con Venezuela said that Machado also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, after her meeting with the pope.

The pope’s meeting with the opposition leader comes just over a week after Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured Jan. 3 in a U.S. 
military operation ordered by President Donald Trump.

Maduro and his wife were transported to New York, where they are currently facing narco-terrorism conspiracy charges.