Cardinal Baltazar Porras, who was the Archbishop of Mérida and later of Caracas, denounced that officials prevented him from travelling outside of Venezuela. Photo: Instagram / @cardenalbaltazarporras.
Guacamaya, December 10, 2025. The Archbishop Emeritus of Caracas and Venezuelan cardinal, Baltazar Porras, denounced on Wednesday that officials prevented him from travelling at the Maiquetía International Airport and confiscated his passport.
The cardinal explained through his social media that he intended to travel to Spain to “fulfill ecclesiastical commitments in Madrid this weekend and next,” but that border control officers, after taking his passport, claimed it “presented problems” and did not allow him to board his flight.
Porras also recounted that he was forced to sign documents that would not allow him to leave the country for “non-compliance with travel regulations,” and that when he tried to take a photo of the document, he was threatened with detention.
The Venezuelan government has not commented on this incident or on whether any type of sanction weighs on the former Archbishop of Caracas and Mérida.
The incident could be related to recent statements by the cardinal abroad. During the canonisation of José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles in Rome, Italy, Porras called for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela. Later, the Archdiocese of Caracas cancelled the large-scale event planned at the Simón Bolívar Monumental Stadium, according to sources, for fear of possible “political conflict.”
The arbitrary cancellation of passports has become a common form of repression against politicians, human rights defenders, and journalists, especially after the July 28, 2024 elections, as noted by non-governmental organizations such as Provea and Amnesty International.
