Will Maduro’s Fall Pave the Way for Religious Liberty in Venezuela?

The capture of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s longtime dictator, in a daring U.S.-led operation that struck Fuerte Tiuna, the nation’s largest military base in Caracas, has sent shockwaves across the globe. While the full implications remain unfolding, one thing is clear: Venezuelans are rejoicing at the dawn of a new day for their nation.

In Cuba, the regime in Havana is likely rallying in solidarity with its Chavista allies.

With this key support crumbling, the island’s frequent blackouts may grow even more severe. The brightest gem in Cuba’s socialist crown has been lost.

Across the Atlantic, Spain’s leftist figure Pablo Iglesias has predictably echoed the pro-Maduro line, claiming the United States bombed Venezuela “to steal its oil and install a puppet regime.” Yet the reality is that Venezuelan oil has long fueled the tyrannies of Iran, Russia, and Cuba, most egregiously the latter, where the regime resold crude on the black market even as its own people endured endless power cuts.

Venezuela has lately been branded a narco-terrorist state by the United States, but its sins run much deeper: anti-Christian socialism has trampled the religious freedom of millions. As believers, we see no better foundation for a reborn, free Venezuela than the restoration of that sacred liberty.

Some atrocities on this front defy comprehension. In 2021, armed thugs from the regime’s “colectivos,” Venezuela’s version of Castro’s Rapid Response Brigades, stormed the Casa de Restauración (Men of Valor Christian Restoration Center) in Mérida. These paramilitaries, loyal to Maduro and the United Socialist Party, forced residents to chew Bible pages, beat them until bones fractured, and carved crosses into their skin with knives.

Pastor Cristian Dugarte, who rehabilitates young people with addictions, had already faced threats for refusing to spy on those under his care. Were the attackers protecting drug turf? Or silencing witnesses to ties between local narco networks and Chavista officials?

A source speaking to the Latin American Observatory for Religious Freedom (OLIRE) described the assault as a direct attack on faith-driven ministry. The regime and its colectivos tolerate no independent leaders challenging their authority, especially those reclaiming lives from addiction without state permission.

Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA), which tracks human rights across the Caribbean, notes that while Hugo Chávez initially courted evangelicals during his campaigns, he quickly alienated them through expropriations, church infiltrations, Cuba alliances, anti-Israel rhetoric, and Holocaust denial.

Maduro, observing evangelicals’ role in toppling his ally Evo Morales in Bolivia and influencing elections elsewhere, commissioned polls showing 30% of Venezuelans identify as evangelical, a higher figure than most estimates. He offered token support, like Bible distributions, but soon reverted to Chávez’s repressive playbook, eroding nearly all goodwill unless ministers aligned themselves with his regime.
During COVID-19, Maduro curtailed church aid efforts, likely to monopolize humanitarian resources and portray the state as the sole benefactor, while violating believers’ freedom to serve the needy in a devastated nation.

In March 2021, his Interior Ministry imposed “anti-terrorism” rules forcing NGOs to disclose sensitive data on activities and beneficiaries, which effectively enabled surveillance, as per the OAA. Since that time, the repression has continued to persist, however, with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) detailing in its latest report on the “Authoritarian Triad” of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

Though Chavismo’s persecution falls short of Havana’s or Managua’s extremes, it mirrors their tactics: harassment, threats, smear campaigns, arbitrary arrests, and surveillance of faith communities. USCIRF highlights intimidation of non-loyalist leaders by state agents and anonymous sources. In 2025, Catholic radio journalist Carlos José Correa Barros was detained by masked troops, vanishing for nine days before release, and new laws have shrunk civic space, impacting religious groups.

Since 2024, the Law on Supervision of NGOs requires government approval to operate, empowering suspensions for promoting “fascism,” that tired socialist bogeyman. Maduro has even invoked an Orwellian-style “Hate Law” against Catholic priests.

Like Cuba, Venezuela abuses registration processes: USCIRF reports churches wait up to a decade for approval unless they prove “loyalty” to the Directorate of Justice and Religion. Meanwhile, in prisons, authorities block priests and pastors from ministering, another lesson from Havana in crushing spirits alongside bodies.
With Maduro’s capture, there is an opening for everything to change. Let’s begin praying for a Venezuela reborn in republican principles that embrace the fullness of religious liberty. Opposition leader María Corina Machado recently declared hope for popular sovereignty, the freeing of political prisoners, and the return of exiles, many of them Christians.

Until we see the dust settle, we can rejoice in this prospect: we now have a freer South America, with one fewer regime persecuting our brothers and sisters in Christ!

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