Pope Leo XIV met privately with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado at the Vatican on January 12, 2026, in an unannounced audience.
The meeting, which took place in the pope's private library, was added late to the pontiff's daily schedule and appeared only in the Vatican's official bulletin, with no details released about the discussion.
According to a statement from Machado's political party, Vente Venezuela, shared on X, the opposition figure used the audience to request the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. The Vatican has remained silent on the content, consistent with its practice for private papal meetings.
The sitdown comes as Machado tours Europe and the United States following her acceptance of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the honour "for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," praising her as a unifying figure in the opposition.
Machado is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this week, continuing her advocacy for democratic reforms. Her emergence follows dramatic events in Venezuela, including the January 3, 2026, capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces under Trump's orders. Maduro and his wife were flown to New York to face federal drug-trafficking charges, prompting widespread international reactions.
Pope Leo XIV has voiced "deep concern" over the developments. In remarks after the Angelus on January 4, he stated, “It is with deep concern that I am following the developments in Venezuela,” emphasising that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration.” He called for full respect of national sovereignty, human and civil rights, and peaceful collaboration, while cautioning against military force in diplomatic matters.
