U.S. church leaders are speaking out, with many churches expressing concerns following last weekend's military operation in Venezuela and the removal of President Nicholas Maduro from office.
Episcopal leaders released statements, calling for prayers and peace in Venezuela while also expressing concerns over the legality of the covert action.
"The Episcopal Church’s General Convention has a long-standing policy that 'condemns in any nation the first use of armed force in the form of a preventive or pre-emptive strike that is aimed at disrupting a non-imminent, uncertain military threat,'" The Episcopal Church said in a Jan. 3 Action Alert released by the Episcopal Public Policy Network.
The church continued: "Even as we recognize that intervention in sovereign states can sometimes be necessary to prevent atrocities, we discourage 'the abuse of this norm to rationalize military actions in sovereign states for political ends.'"
Following months of tension between the U.S. and Venezuela, which included deadly U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, the seizure of two oil tankers, and a ramped-up military force of U.S. forces off Venezuela's coast, the U.S. military attacked the South American country on Jan. 3, taking Maduro and his wife into custody.
The Trump administration reportedly did not seek congressional approval, as required by the U.S. Constitution. Legal experts worldwide are now questioning the strikes and accusing the Trump administration of violating international law. Following the attack, President Trump told reporters that the U.S. would run Venezuela for the foreseeable future. Church leaders nationwide are condemning what they call "all forms of government aggression."
"The United States attack on Venezuela continues a troubling pattern of unlawful U.S. military activity, including the December 25, 2025, airstrike in Nigeria," United Church of Christ General Minister, Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, and Disciples of Christ General Minister, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, said in a joint statement. "We condemn all forms of government aggression — whether directed at one's own people or imposed upon another country."
Other church leaders have chimed in, asking for peace for Venezuelans. While the charges against Maduro include kidnapping, beating, and murder against people who have reportedly undermined the country's ability to profit from the cartel, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom deemed Venezuela as part of an "authoritarian triad" of religious persecution, which is not in the indictment.
"We are glad to see Nicolas Maduro brought to justice," said Bruno Molina, executive director of the National Hispanic Baptist Network. "This is an answer to prayer for the welfare and flourishing of the people of Venezuela and the furtherance of the gospel in that country and throughout the region. We are particularly happy for our Venezuelan brothers and sisters in Christ who have endured so much hardship."