María Corina Machado meets Pope Leo XIV at Vatican to seek prisoners' release

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado held a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, Independent.co reported. During the meeting she appealed to the Pontiff to intercede for the release of hundreds of political prisoners currently held in Venezuela.

The encounter was not publicly listed on Pope Leo's schedule but was later confirmed by the Vatican, and Machado also met with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. Pope Leo XIV has previously called for Venezuela to remain an independent country and expressed deep concern for human and civil rights there.

Machado recently accepted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and dedicated it to U.S. President Donald Trump and the Venezuelan people; the prize cannot be shared or revoked. The report does not say whether the Pope will act on her appeal or what steps will follow.

Key Topics

Politics, María Corina Machado, Pope Leo Xiv, Vatican, Political Prisoners, Venezuela