What Maduro's Capture Means For Religious Freedom in Venezuela

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of Nicolás Maduro's capture on religious freedom in Venezuela.

On January 3rd of this year, in the middle of the night, U.S. special forces broke into the Home of Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro, and abducted him and his wife. U.S. military presence in Venezuela had been creeping up for months—with much of it being attributed to cartel suppression. But, when President Trump posted an image on Truth Social depicting Maduro in a Nike Sweatsuit and a blindfold aboard the USS Iwo Jima, many Americans were left wondering, "What happens next?" and, just as crucially, "Can the U.S. Government do that?" But while human rights advocates from around the world cautiously celebrate the downfall of the authoritarian dictator, life for many Venezuelans has not changed radically, and the regime Maduro was a part of remains in power through his Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez. Another part of that regime that may have outlived Maduro’s rule is the Venezuelan Government's bribery of certain churches. Under Maduro, extra cash and remodeled church buildings were exchanged for pastoral support of the government. And for the churches that refused to bow the knee, there have been multiple cases of intense verbal harassment, leading many to consider…

People in this episode

Guests: Knox Thames, Anna Lee Stangl

Topics covered

• religious freedom
• Venezuela
• authoritarianism
• human rights
• U.S. foreign policy

Keywords

• Maduro
• Venezuela
• religious freedom
• U.S. military
• human rights
• Delcy Rodríguez
• cartel suppression

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: U.S. State Department, U.S. Government, Nike, Truth Social, Venezuelan Government, Venezuelan churches

More episodes of Religion Unplugged

• African American Religion Beyond The Black Church · June 10, 2026 · 38 min
• How African Churches Are Using AI · June 2, 2026 · 24 min
• What A Bahá'í Romance Can Tell Us About Iran · May 26, 2026 · 42 min
• Why Murder Investigations Can Be Complicated By Ashkenazi Jewish DNA · May 19, 2026 · 24 min
• Are Big Churches As Healthy As Small Ones? · May 12, 2026 · 36 min
• Pope Leo XIV Before The Papacy · May 5, 2026 · 31 min