NEW YORK — Pentecostal
and Protestant groups in Venezuela are demanding an investigation
into allegations President Hugo Chavez made last month about
a U.S. missionary group the government intends to expel.
Chavez said he wants New Tribes Mission
USA expelled from Venezuela, calling the Florida-based organization
an example of “imperialist
infiltration” and alleging that it has ties with the Central
Intelligence Agency.
Leaders of the Evangelical Council and Pentecostal Evangelical
Federation of Venezuela have asked for a meeting with Chavez
to discuss the allegations, Religion News Service reported this
week, citing a report from the Latin American and Caribbean News
Agency (ALC).
The religious groups said they will support the expulsion if
the allegations are proven, but demanded a full investigation,
according to the report. The government has yet to respond.
Chavez offered no proof of his allegations
against New Tribes, which has worked in Venezuela for nearly
60 years. The group has denied the charges, saying that it
has “not and has
never been connected in any way with any government agencies.”
Chavez, a one-time army officer and leader
of a failed coup, is a controversial figure whose critics call
him a demagogue. His supporters counter that he is a champion
of the poor. He has long battled with the nation’s Roman Catholic hierarchy
and has been an outspoken critic of U.S. economic policy — most
prominently at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina early
this month.
Hundreds of indigenous Venezuelans reportedly took part in demonstrations
in late October in defense of the missionaries, saying that they
have done more to help them than the government has.
Tensions have also been reported between
Venezuela’s government
and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which announced
recently that about 200 foreign missionaries were leaving the
country because of visa problems.
Chavez became embroiled in a dispute with Pat Robertson, the
U.S. evangelical leader and broadcaster, in August. Robertson
had suggested that the United States should assassinate Chavez.
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