Venezuelan dictator decrees Oct. 1 to be start of Christmas season: Church responds

By Andrés Henríquez
Caracas, Venezuela, Sep 5, 2024 / 07:00 am

“This year, in homage and gratitude to you, I am going to decree that the Christmas season [begins] on Oct. 1,” declared Nicolás Maduro, leader of the ruling socialist regime in Venezuela, Sept. 2 on national television.

“For everyone, Christmas has arrived with peace, happiness, and security,” Maduro added. According to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, this is not the first time the socialist regime has done this, as in 2019, 2020, and 2021 it also decreed the “advance” of the Christmas season.

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Through a statement posted on Instagram Sept. 3, the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference (CEV, by its Spanish acronym) reacted to Maduro’s decree to move up the start of the Christmas season, stating that this Christian holy day “should not be used for propaganda or particular political purposes.”

“Christmas is a celebration of a universal nature that commemorates the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The manner and time of its celebration are the responsibility of the ecclesiastical authority, which ensures that the true spirit and meaning of this event of spiritual and historical richness is maintained, as it marks the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” the CEV emphasized.

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This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.