Faith
Venezuelan Christians Respond to Maduro’s Capture
Faith Facts
- U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas.
- Millions of Venezuelan Christians are reflecting on decades of prayer and longing for justice.
- Churches of Christ have played a vital role in supporting Venezuelans both at home and abroad.
After decades of prayer, Venezuelan believers are seeing a new chapter as President Maduro has been seized by U.S. forces.
This event has stirred powerful emotions among Christians, many of whom have faced hardship and sought hope in God’s faithfulness during their nation’s crisis.
“Although I am a Christian and firmly oppose all forms of war, I cannot deny that my heart feels a sense of hope at the possibility of justice being served in Venezuela,” Yhonatan Parada shared.
Parada is a fourth-year student at Baxter Institute in Honduras, one of millions who left Venezuela amid economic struggle and unrest.
“And it is precisely because of my Christian faith that I do not celebrate the downfall of a person,” Parada said, “but rather the longing for peace, freedom and restoration that is now beginning to awaken in the soul of our people.”
Inside Venezuela, Christians continue to pray and seek peace for their communities as the nation adjusts to new uncertainty following this dramatic change.
“The rest of the country is normal — scared but normal,” explained Jesús, a Church of Christ minister in Puerto La Cruz, who thanks God for the safety of his congregation.
Many U.S. congregations are sending support, helping Venezuelan Christians provide food and comfort for families affected by years of shortages and turmoil.
As believers worldwide watch and pray, Christians across Venezuela and the diaspora cling to hope, asking God to restore freedom and rebuild families for His glory.
“Continue praying for the situation,” Jesús urged. “The tension remains high.”
Christians offer refuge for Venezuelans abroad, opening homes and hearts to those fleeing turmoil and nurturing faith in times of trouble.
“I tell all our daughters, ‘This house doesn’t belong to us; it belongs to God,’” shared Susanna Vasoalto, a church leader in Chile who welcomes refugees with motherly love grounded in her faith.
Odalis Vásquez, now in Uruguay, testified to seeing hope renewed: “There are a lot of mixed emotions. Hope that was almost gone is returning.”
Let us be steadfast in prayer for Venezuela as its people seek peace, liberty, and healing, trusting God’s hand to guide their future.
Faith Facts
- Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell slams BBC’s “appalling lack of religious literacy” at Religion Media Centre briefing.
- Former BBC Head of Religion Michael Wakelin agrees remedy lies in embedding religious understanding across all BBC output, not more faith programs.
- Religion remains vital for millions’ belonging, values, purpose, and identity in Britain, demanding media accountability.
The Archbishop of York courageously highlighted the BBC’s failure to grasp faith’s role in society, echoing Biblical calls to proclaim truth boldly. As a former BBC religion leader, Wakelin affirms strong specialist programs persist but broader institutional ignorance undermines them.
From news to dramas, BBC must reflect religion’s global influence and moral goods, honoring Christian heritage that shaped Britain’s freedoms. This literacy fosters workplaces accommodating believers and combats misinformation’s spiritual void.
“religion is still a huge influence in the world”
“The BBC doesn’t need a larger religious broadcasting department. It needs greater religious literacy across the corporation”
“religion is a vital part of how millions and millions of people in Britain today get their belonging, their values, their purpose, their identity.”
Stand firm for faith in media—pray for BBC renewal and support outlets upholding Biblical truth.
Faith Facts
- British court denies Ukraine’s extradition of UOC supporter Artem Dmytruk, accused of torture by SBU.
- Dmytruk, Ukrainian MP and UOC subdeacon, opposed 2024 law banning UOC over alleged ROC ties.
- UOC declared independence from ROC in 2022, rejecting Russia’s military actions amid government crackdown.
A British court upheld religious liberty by rejecting Ukraine’s request to extradite Artem Dmytruk, a defender of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church facing trumped-up charges.
Dmytruk, the sole parliamentary voice against banning the UOC, lost his security and fled after SBU threats, echoing biblical calls to protect the faithful from oppression.
Despite forming a defense unit against Russia, President Zelensky’s regime pursues him, highlighting assaults on Christian autonomy.
SBU faces accusations of assassinating dissidents, mirroring FSB tactics while denying involvement.
Robert Amsterdam, representing Dmytruk and UOC, stated: “This ruling is a decisive win that recognises the lengths to which the Ukrainian government will go to silence political opposition, particularly as it relates to its violations of religious freedom.”
Amsterdam added: “Mr Dmytruk has not only condemned the Russian invasion, but actively took up arms in March 2022 when he formed a territorial defence unit in defence of his city against Russia. This has not stopped the administration of President Zelensky from seeking to forcibly return Mr Dmytruk over what are clearly trumped-up charges.”
Defend faith and freedom: Pray for persecuted believers and support champions of religious liberty worldwide.
Faith Facts
- The BBC’s Royal Charter expires in 2027, prompting a consultation on enhancing religious content across dramas and discussions.
- Religion supplies vital purpose, identity, and values for millions of Britons, demanding robust public broadcasting.
- Faith-based media acts as a bulwark against polarization, prejudice, and societal chaos, promoting cohesion.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, acting leader of the Church of England, condemns the BBC’s appalling lack of religious literacy.
He calls for faith to permeate the broadcaster’s entire output, not just token programs like Songs of Praise.
This call comes amid a government review of its future.
“My concern is much more about the place of religion across the whole output of the BBC, rather than simply seeing it as religious broadcasting in that rather more narrow definition. So I note with sadness and some distress the sometimes appalling lack of religious literacy in so much of the BBC.”
“I know it’s a hard thing to fight for – religious broadcasting and public service broadcasting – but I believe it is a precious bulwark against polarisation, intolerance, prejudice, chaos. The fact is that religion is a vital part of how millions and millions of people in Britain today get their belonging, their values, their purpose, their identity.”
“Religious broadcasting increasingly becomes the poor and underfunded relative in a BBC which I believe needs to be reminded of its core business.”
As patriots grounded in biblical truth, urge leaders to restore faith-honoring media, safeguarding our Christian heritage and freedoms.
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