CEV rejects the “early” Christmas

• The Venezuelan Catholic Church recalled that the manner and time for celebrating Christmas is up to the ecclesiastical authorities

The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference (CEV) on Tuesday, September 2, rejected the political use of Christmas, one day after President Nicolás Maduro decreed, as he has done in previous years, an “advance” of this season to October 1.

However, this government announcement does not involve any real changes to the legally celebrated dates, but only to the typical Christmas decorations in public spaces.

“Christmas is a celebration of universal character. The manner and time of its celebration is the responsibility of the ecclesiastical authority. This holiday must not be used for propaganda or particular political purposes,” the CEV said in a statement released on Instagram.

The institution recalled that among the dates to be considered for this Christmas are December 1, when the ‘Advent’ or preparation for the commemoration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth will begin, and the beginning of the “liturgical time”, which will begin on December 25 and end on January 6, 2025.

“These celebrations are accompanied by traditional Christmas parties and Christmas Eve masses,” said the CEV.

The government announcement

On Monday, during his weekly television program, Maduro announced that he would bring forward the holiday “in tribute” and “in gratitude” to Venezuelans, following the presidential elections on July 28, in which he was declared the winner by the electoral authorities, a fact that has been questioned inside and outside the country.

I am going to decree the advancement of Christmas to October 1. Christmas starts on October 1, for everyone, Christmas has arrived with peace, happiness and security,” the president stressed.

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Following the elections, the country entered into a political crisis due to international questioning of Maduro’s re-election, which has been denounced as fraudulent by the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which claims that its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the presidential election by a wide margin.

With information from EFE

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