Pope Leo XIV held a private audience with 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado Jan. 12 at the Vatican to discuss Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis. 

Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights and peaceful transition” in Venezuela, resurfaced publicly in December after nearly a year in hiding amid threats from the Maduro government and its allies. She is currently on a diplomatic tour that includes meetings with world leaders as part of her campaign to secure a peaceful democratic transition for her country. The Washington Post reports that part of the tour is an expected meeting with President Donald Trump. 

During the audience, Machado appealed to the Holy Father to intercede for the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners and to support the prompt advancement of a democratic transition in Venezuela, according to a statement her party shared on X Jan. 12. 

“Today I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his attention to what is happening in our country,” Machado said. “I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people who remain steadfast and in prayer for the freedom of Venezuela, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and disappeared.”

The meetings occurred just hours after hundreds of Venezuelans gathered at Masses, vigils, and protests across the country, demanding the release of citizens still detained in torture and detention centers. So far, only 17 releases have been confirmed, according to the rights group Foro Penal — less than 2% of the estimated total number of political prisoners.

The Jan. 12 post states that during the private audience, Machado also highlighted the importance of the July 28, 2024, civic movement, which she said reaffirmed the legitimacy of President Edmundo González Urrutia and reflected the Venezuelan people’s will for democratic change. Machado also spoke about “the spiritual struggle that Venezuelans have faced for years” and “assured that finally, with the accompaniment of the Church and the unprecedented pressure from the United States Government, the defeat of evil in the country is closer,” the X post states. 

Following the meeting with Pope Leo, Machado also spoke with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a former nuncio to Venezuela. 

Machado’s meetings at the Vatican took place just over a week after the U.S. military captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during an operation Jan. 3. In his Jan. 4 Angelus address, Pope Leo said he was following developments “with deep concern” and called for a peaceful path forward, urging that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration” and that the nation’s sovereignty and the “human and civil rights of all” be upheld.