MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelan president needs to be “exorcised”

Venezuelan Cardinal Rosalio Castillo said in an interview published Sunday in the Colombian press that his country's president, Hugo Chavez, was “a paranoid despot” who, instead of a blessing needed an “exorcism”.

The cardinal, who recently exchanged harsh words with the president, took some new shots at Chavez, telling the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo his country's leader was "a Castro supporter who believes he is Bolivar".

Further on he underlined that the Catholic Church has focused attention on problems "that need to be corrected" such as "human rights violations, other abuses, political prisoners and things of that nature".

However, "instead of responding to criticism, he (Chavez) tries to discredit the person making criticisms. That is why he has insulted the Bishops Conference, and he has insulted me".

The cardinal said Chavez "does not look or act" like a head of state, but rather like "the chief of a party".

Catholic Church leaders have been pressing the Chavez administration for several months on its human rights record.

Last June Venezuela's Catholic Bishops Conference said it would appoint a commission to investigate cases of government opponents jailed for different reasons.

Jailed government opponents include union leader Carlos Ortega, among the instigators of four general strikes against Chavez's government, one of which lasted 63 days and cost the nation more than ten billion US dollars according to the government.

The cardinal's statements come a week before municipal elections in Venezuela where opposition groups are claiming they have been "rigged".