WILLEMSTAD – Pope Leo on Tuesday urged the Trump administration not to pursue the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro through military force, calling instead for dialogue or economic pressure as more constructive alternatives. The Pope made the remarks while speaking to reporters aboard his flight back to the Vatican following visits to Turkey and Lebanon—his first overseas trip since assuming the papacy.
“It is better to search for ways of dialogue, or perhaps pressure, including economic pressure,” Leo said when asked about Washington’s growing confrontation with Caracas. The Pope added that the United States should explore “other ways to achieve regime change, if that is what they want to do in the United States.”
The comments come amid increased U.S. military activity in the Caribbean, which the Trump administration describes as part of an anti–drug trafficking campaign. The Venezuelan government, however, argues that the buildup is a clear attempt to topple Maduro’s administration.
In recent months, the U.S. has stationed 15,000 troops in the region and deployed the world’s largest aircraft carrier nearby. Washington has also labeled the Cartel de los Soles—an alleged drug-trafficking network it links to Maduro—as a terrorist organization. Since September, American forces have carried out at least 21 strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in at least 83 deaths.
Pope Leo noted that U.S. policy toward Venezuela appears inconsistent. “On one hand, it seems there was a call between the two presidents,” he said, referring to a recent phone conversation between Trump and Maduro. “On the other hand, there is the danger, there is the possibility there will be some activity, some [military] operation.”
“The voices that come from the United States, they change with a certain frequency,” the Pope added, emphasizing the need for clarity and restraint at a time of escalating regional tension.