Although one does have to read past the parts "for domestic consumption" here:
A reliable source in Venezuela has revealed to
CNA that President Hugo Chavez died “in bosom of the Church” and received
spiritual direction and the sacraments in his last days. In announcing Chavez’s death to the nation on
March 5, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said the Venezuelan leader died
“clinging to Christ.” The source in Venezuela told CNA that during the last
weeks of his life, Chavez requested spiritual direction and asked to receive
the sacraments.
Ever since he assumed power in 1999, Chavez
butted heads continuously with the Catholic Church over statements by the
bishops warning of the risks and excesses of his Socialist agenda. In
2002, Chavez accused the Venezuelan bishops of being a “tumor” for his
revolutionary goals and demanded that the Vatican not intervene in the
internal affairs of the country.
In recent years, Chavez occasionally took part in
the religious services of distinct denominations, but he surprised the press in
April 2012 when he showed up at a Catholic church in his hometown of Barinas to
attend Holy Week services. He wore a rosary around his neck and prayed for
strength to fight his illness. Last July, Chavez made public his request to meet
with the Catholic bishops.
After Chavez’s death, the Archdiocese of Caracas,
led by Cardinal Jorge Urosa who is currently in Rome for the conclave, sent its
condolences and asked that those in public office “apply the mechanisms
established in the Constitution,” that public order be maintained and that “all
political sectors foster peace and harmony among the people.”
The secretary general of the Bishops’ Conference
of Venezuela, Bishop Jesus Gonzalez de Zarate, called for national unity. “At
this time let us all put forth our best sentiments,” he said during an
interview on Venezuelan television. “Death is not the end of our life,” he added.
“Death only opens the way to a life of complete happiness, at the side of God
our Father.”
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