WP: Vatican pleads for Maduro’s exit before US raid

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state and a longtime diplomatic mediator, urgently summoned Brian Burch, the US ambassador to the Holy See, to press for details on America’s plans in Venezuela, government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal.

Would the United States target only drug traffickers, Parolin asked, or was the Trump administration really seeking regime change? “Nicolás Maduro had to go,” Parolin conceded, but he urged the US to offer the Venezuelan leader a safe exit, the documents show. For days, the influential cardinal had tried to reach Secretary of State Marco Rubio to head off bloodshed and destabilization.

Russia reportedly offered Maduro asylum, with assurances he could “enjoy his money” and receive security guarantees from President Vladimir Putin. But Maduro refused, and a week later, American Special Operations forces captured him and his wife in a raid that killed about 75 people, flying them to New York on drug trafficking charges.

The Vatican called the release of the documents “disappointing,” asserting they do not fully reflect the conversation, while Burch’s office deferred comment to the State Department.

Efforts to secure Maduro’s departure involved the US, Russians, Qataris, Turks, and the Catholic Church, but he rejected multiple offers even as US warships struck alleged narco-trafficking vessels. “He wasn’t taking the deal,” one source said. “He was just going to sit there and watch people create a crisis.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration shifted its focus to Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, as a potential successor, moving away from longtime opposition leader María Corina Machado. A CIA assessment concluded Rodríguez could more effectively secure military support and stabilize post-Maduro governance. “She was the farthest thing from an ideologue,” a source said.

Maduro consistently misread Washington’s signals. He interpreted a November call with Trump as positive, despite being warned: “You can go the easy way or the hard way,” a senior White House official said. Even an invitation to discuss matters in Washington was rejected.

The Vatican has historically played a key role in negotiations with Venezuela, cautioning against the use of force and seeking dialogue between Maduro and the opposition, but efforts to broker a peaceful transition failed.

By Vafa Guliyeva