This episode is about the US military intervention in Venezuela that involved the capture of the now-former Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and how this news story looks from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching.

Here are references and additional resources.

1. Maduro raid killed about 75 in Venezuela, U.S. officials assess January 6, 2026
2. Rubio briefs lawmakers on 'threefold process' for Venezuela January 7, 2026
3. Vatican news release on January 4, 2026, with Pope Leo’s comments at Angelus and (scroll down the page) appeal from Venezuelan Bishops
4. The Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council (CELAM) expresses solidarity with the Church in Venezuela January 6, 2026
5. Venezuela strikes, takeover plans violate international law, says Notre Dame scholar January 4, 2026
6. Unjust War Theory: When Law Enforcement Becomes Moral Insanity – pointed assessment of US intervention in Venezuela by a Catholic commentator and professor of finance at Benedictine College
7. Just War Theory and the Venezuela Invasion – assessment by an Anglican who is a retired professor of systematic theology and ethics
8. Pope Leo’s address to the Vatican diplomatic corps on January 9, 2026. Here is the Vatican news release summarizing the Pope’s comments, and here is the full text of his remarks
9. Quotations from pastoral letters and papal encyclicals from the past century regarding peace and non-violence
10. Podcast website with full transcripts for this episode and all other episodes

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