Pope Francis Offers Help With Venezuela Dialogue

Pope Francis has used his Christmas message to speak about the importance of the ongoing dialogue between the Venezuelan government and opposition, saying the negotiations are vital to heal political rifts and shore up social welfare in order to achieve lasting peace.

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"We entrust Venezuela to Baby Jesus so that a serene dialogue between the various social components can be resumed for the good of all the beloved Venezuelan people," said the pontiff.

The talks are due to resume January 11 and 12 in Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, in order to create mechanisms to solve the country's political, social and economic challenges.

Six points will be taken into account during the agenda: the installation of a truth commission; economic guarantees; political and electoral guarantees; recognition of the National Constituent Assembly; ways to achieve institutional harmony, and economic and social needs.

The Pope expressed his willingness to assist in advancing the dialogue in his message to members of the diplomatic corps in the Holy See.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had reached out on more than 300 seperate occassions requesting talk with the right-wing opposition.

Rapprochement began in 2013, when the head of state called the elected mayors of the coalition of opposition parties – known as the Mesa de la Unidad Democratica (MUD) – to Miraflores Palace in Caracas following municipal elections.

But violence broke out last April, when the opposition incited riots leaving over 100 people dead. Some, like 21-year-old Orlando Jose Figuera, were burned alive for simply "being Chavista" in protests that caused millions of dollars of damage to public and private properties.

September 2017 marked the latest round of peace talks. An exploratory meeting with the opposition was held in the Dominican Republic.

The discussions, overseen by Dominican President Danilo Medina and former president of Spain Jose Luis Zapatero, resulted in an agreement to proceed with a second round of talks, this time accompanied by delegates from Mexico, Chile, Bolivia and Nicaragua.