Venezuelan opposition leader Machado finds unity in pain after Panama mass

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado stated in Panama City that the profound grief from a powerful earthquake that struck northern Venezuela on June 24 has united Venezuelans. She expressed her belief that the nation will rise again "stronger than ever."

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Today is a time when we are finding ourselves in deep pain, but also in the faith that Venezuela will rise, and all I want to say today is gratitude to the people of Panama, to each one of you for how you have welcomed us. Venezuela will rise stronger than ever, this pain has united us, it has fused us.

Machado attended a Sunday mass officiated by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Panama, José Domingo Ulloa, at the Santa María La Antigua Cathedral. She was accompanied by former Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso. "Today is a time when we are finding ourselves in deep pain, but also in the faith that Venezuela will rise, and all I want to say today is gratitude to the people of Panama, to each one of you for how you have welcomed us. Venezuela will rise stronger than ever, this pain has united us, it has fused us," Machado told reporters briefly after the service.

This appearance marks Machado's first public engagement in Panama since she released a video on June 29, asserting she was in Panama after the Venezuelan government blocked her return by closing airspace. During the mass, Archbishop Ulloa offered "respect and closeness" to Machado, assuring her of his "prayer so that the Lord illuminates her, strengthens her, and sustains her in the responsibility she has assumed in service of her people."

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With respect and closeness, we greet María Corina Machado and assure her of our prayer so that the Lord illuminates her, strengthens her, and sustains her in the responsibility she has assumed in service of her people.

Ulloa also extended prayers to those affected by the earthquake and called for "concrete gestures" of solidarity. He announced that collections from Sunday masses in all Panamanian churches would be channeled through Cáritas Nacional Panamá, in coordination with Cáritas Venezuela, to ensure aid reaches those most in need transparently and promptly. The Venezuelan government has reported at least 2,954 deaths from the earthquakes, which particularly affected La Guaira, a coastal area near Caracas, causing the collapse of numerous buildings on a national holiday when many families were at home.

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Today our prayer also embraces those who suffer the consequences of the earthquake.