Venezuelan Catholic bishops in their collective message about the state of the country are concerned about the disregard of human rights and called for a change in political leadership.
The Venezuelan Constitution dedicates Chapter 6 to human rights, but "these human rights have been disregarded by their own authors", the Venezuelan Bishops' Conference said in a statement at the end of its plenary assembly.
Various UN bodies have already collated a large number of files on torture and murders that point to crimes allegedly committed by officials of the current government.
"It is known how the quality of life, education, health and basic services have deteriorated; we suffer from unsustainable inflation and devaluation, which have impoverished the entire population and create extreme situations in which people have no choice but to face the challenge and risk of confronting the unknown", the bishops said.