In a private audience at the Vatican on Monday, Pope Leo XIV welcomed Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. The meeting, which was not initially on the Pope’s public schedule, was later confirmed in the Vatican’s daily bulletin, though no further details were disclosed.

Machado is currently on a tour across Europe and the United States, marking her first major public appearances since accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway after spending 11 months in hiding. Her journey signifies a renewed push for international support and solidarity with the Venezuelan opposition movement.

Pope Leo XIV, notable for being the first American Pope, has emphasized the importance of Venezuela’s sovereignty amidst recent geopolitical tensions. His comments came in the wake of the U.S. military operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro was extradited to New York to face federal charges, including allegations of drug trafficking.

The Pope has expressed his “deep concern” over the situation in Venezuela, advocating for the protection of human and civil rights in the nation. His involvement underscores the Vatican’s ongoing diplomatic engagements and its commitment to supporting peace and justice worldwide.

Leo had said he was following the developments in Venezuela with “deep concern,” and urged the protection of human and civil rights in the Latin American country.

Venezuela’s opposition, backed by consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations in the U.S., had vowed for years to immediately replace Maduro with one of their own and restore democracy to the oil-rich country. But U.S. President Donald Trump delivered them a heavy blow by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control.

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Meanwhile, most opposition leaders, including Machado, are in exile or prison.

After winning the 2025 Nobel Prize for Peace, Machado said she’d like to give it to or share with Trump.

Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after it was announced. Trump has coveted and openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office in January 2025.

The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize – the Norwegian Nobel Institute – said, however, that once it’s announced, the prize can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others.

“The decision is final and stands for all time,” it said in a short statement last week.