Catholic Church has got back its native Creole face and looking good

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic news Posted: Monday, April 28, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Breaking down the situation of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Monsignor Baltazar Porras counters arguments that most of the clergy are foreigners and that there are few native Venezuelan priests. 

The prelate admits that the Independence War saw the demise of the Church, which was also hard hit by President Guzman Blanco's expulsion of bishops and closure of seminaries at the end of the 19th century. 

During the twentieth century the situation was saved by an influx of foreign born clergy and religious giving the impression that the Church had a foreign image, which Porras claims is untrue because many of foreign-born clergy made a sucessful effort to fit in with local mentality. 'The situation has changed ... over the past forty years the Church has consolidated it position in Venezuelan society and has its own native face." 

• In 1964 there were 19 Church dioceses and departments  ... now there are 38
• In 1973, there were 100 major seminarians distributed in 3 seminaries: 2 in Caracas and 1 in San Cristobal
• Today there are 1,096 seminarians: 714 for the diocesan clergy in 17 seminaries and 382 candidates for religious orders in 20 houses of development
• In 2002, there were 83 new priests and the same number is scheduled for this year.

Porras ends his bird's eye view of the Church saying it is a "sign of grace that despite attacks on the Church and disqualifications, young people are ready to become God's servants and help their fellow men."