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CONSEJO DE IGLESIAS EVANGÉLICAS METODISTAS DE AMÉRICA LATINA Y EL CARIBE

January 3, 2026

 

PASTORAL LETTER IN THE FACE OF THE MILITARY ACTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AGAINST VENEZUELA

"And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace to those who make peace" (James 3:18 NIV)

In the early morning of this day, January 3, 2026, we were surprised by the acts of violence and aggression provoked by the military action of the United States of America (USA) against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. As a community of faith, we deplore every act of oppression, violence and every attack on peace in our world. Moreover, we cannot remain in the silence that hurts and undermines human dignity, respect for life and the justice to which we have been called and called as believers in Christ Jesus.

From our faith, we have the call to raise our prophetic voice, so that peace, justice and healing the earth may reign. As a Methodist people, we are called to be promoters and peacemakers with justice at all times. We condemn any military intervention that does not respect the sovereignty of peoples and that causes ideologies of death to grow, losing respect and value for human life. In the same way, we condemn all dictatorial positions, oppression and detriment to human dignity that in the same way promote the violence and the absence of peace experienced by our Venezuelan brothers and sisters. We affirm that violence will never lead us on the right path and much less will it be an effective way out of any situation we face.

Today more than ever, we are called to create spaces for sincere dialogue and mutual listening that promote the encounter of a path of peace in order to achieve reconciliation. Today more than ever, we join in prayer for our brothers and sisters of the Venezuelan people. In the same way, we ask all our faith communities that make up CIEMAL to remain united by being Light in the midst of suffering, attentive to the needs caused by the uncertainty of this action for our Venezuelan brothers and sisters; and any other people that receive these onslaughts of violence. At the beginning of this new year as a Church, may we be willing to affirm the signs of justice, peace and hope as our faith in the Prince of Peace affirms to us.

 

May the grace, love and mercy of our God be with everyone; today and always. In the hope that a better world is possible!

 


Council of Bishops and Presidents of the Evangelical Methodist Churches of Latin America and the Caribbean (CIEMAL).

  • Bishop Lizzette Gabriel Montalvo, Present of the Council / Bishop of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico.
  • Bishop Bruno Roberto Pereira, Vicepresident of the Council of Bishops of CIEMAL / Cuarta Región Eclasiástica de la Iglesia Metodista de Brasil.
  • Bishop Juan de Dios Peña Gallegos, President of CIEMAL / Evangélical Methodist Church in El
  • Emeritus Bishop Frank DeNully Brown, Vicepresident of CIEMAL
  • Bishop Juan Simpson, Conexional President of the
  • Bishop César Llanco Zavaleta, Methodist Church of Perú.
  • Bishop Luis Caicedo, Colombian Methodist
  • Bishop Agustín Altamirano, Methodist Church of Mexico, Mexico Annual
  • Bishop Jorge Merino, Methodist Church of Chile
  • Guillermo Ríos, President of the Methodist Church in Nicaragua.
  • Bishop Rodolfo Rivera de la Rosa, Methodist Church of Mexico, Norcentral Annual Conference.
  • Bishop Thoby Ramírez, Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches of Venezuela,
  • Bishop José Zayas Mellado, Methodist Church of Mexico, Septentrional Annual
  • Bishop Antonio Trottman, Panamá-Costa Rica District of the
  • Bishop Pedro Arauz, Evangelical Methodist Church of Panamá,
  • Bishop Américo Jara, Methodist Church of Argentina
  • Evelyn Wilbmer, Presidenta de la Iglesia Metodista de Uruguay
  • Bishop Narciso Cortez, Methodist Church of Mexico, Southeastern Annual