Cleyver Joshua is the eldest of three siblings and a social communicator. At the age of 15, he began attending church at the invitation of his parents. Missionary Sisters of Parochial Action who served his parish. "Little by little, God gave me small "assignments" along the way," he explains.
During those years of adolescence and youth, he was the coordinator of the parish youth group and thus discovered the great family of God. "For this reason, the Church is for me a big family in whose bosom God shapes us to achieve happiness," says this Venezuelan seminarian.
Although he was very happy with everything he was doing in his youth group, "in my heart I still felt a restlessness, I understood that God was asking more of me". After graduating as a Social Communicator, he worked in radio and television programs of a religious nature and an idea was forming in him more and more clearly: "to announce God not only with my words but with all my life".
Therefore, after a process of discernment, on May 13, 2014, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, under the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, "I decided to accept this adventure to which God was inviting me, the road to the priesthood! That same year I entered the seminary and 5 years later, after philosophy, God surprised me again through my Bishop, Bishop Carlos Alfredo Cabezaswho informed me that he wanted to send me to study in Spain".
"I immediately felt the voice of God who at first had called me by a congregation born in Spain and now wanted me in this country, to strengthen my formation. On September 8, 2019 I arrived at the Bidasoa International Seminary, a place where God has given me a very large and diverse family of seminarians and formators."
What are the main problems in Venezuela that affect religious freedom?
"The social, political and economic crisis in Venezuela directly affects the way in which the Venezuelan people express and live their faith. It is the same people who congregate in our temples, who have to leave the country in search of better living conditions, who must wait in endless lines for basic necessities, the one who has to double his working hours because one salary is not enough to support a household.
Our pastors have denounced these abuses experienced by Venezuelans and many have confused this voice thinking that the church wants to "do politics" but this is not so, our bishops fulfill their task of announcing and denouncing in time and out of time what is happening in the country to seek a better quality of life for the people of God who are pilgrims in Venezuela".
Are some other beliefs that depart from Catholic practices proliferating?
"The Venezuelan church, as previously exposed, has denounced the bad management of the government and has had as a response, on the part of the leaders, the promotion of cultural actions far from and contrary to the Christian tradition. Since President Hugo Chavez, who was in confrontation with the Catholic Church, the so-called "religious diversity" has been embraced, especially Santeria. In fact, Chavez was the first president of the so-called Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to make Santeria the "official religion" of the government, reaching an enormous social and political influence.
Currently, in the administration of Nicolás Maduro, there has been an increase in this type of practices. On June 24, 2021, on the initiative of the government, the first "cultista" meeting of Santeros who venerate María Lionza (divinity of the spiritualists) was held in Venezuela, whom they want to turn into the patron saint of the country, something that is interpreted as an attempt of Santeria, with government support, to replace the Virgin of Coromoto, traditional protector of the country, with this pagan figure".
How is Venezuela doing, is there social progress?
The greatest progress that Venezuela has made, from my point of view, is the discovery of a strong, fraternal and persevering people in the face of difficulties. The church in Venezuela has helped in a great way to this progress that, although it seems small, has an incalculable value. Among the great work of the church, I can highlight the work carried out by the Caritas foundation at the national level by bringing food and clothing to many Venezuelans.
Cleyver Josué Gómez Jiménez is a seminarian from the Diocese of Punto Fijo, Venezuela. He is 31 years old and is currently studying theology at the Bidasoa International Seminary in Pamplona.
This is how he defines young Venezuelans: Young Venezuelans are characterized by being "dreamers", they dream of a country full of peace, joy, security, with people who have food and medicine. They dream of being able to live in our land and not having to leave the country for lack of these resources. They have found the answer to these great dreams in God through faith, so they have become the engine of our church. We cannot speak of the church in Venezuela without referring to the youth that with their characteristic spirit permeates all the apostolic groups and bets every day for a better country".
How do you see the youth in your country from a religious point of view?
Young Venezuelans are characterized by being "dreamers", they dream of a country full of peace, joy, security, with people who have food and medicine. They dream of being able to live in our land and not having to leave the country for lack of these resources. They have found the answer to these great dreams in God through faith, de modo que se han convertido en el motor de nuestra iglesia. No podemos hablar de iglesia en Venezuela sin hacer referencia a la juventud que con su ánimo característico impregna todos los grupos de apostolado y apuesta cada día por un mejor país.
How do you think the message of Jesus can reach them more?
If the political sector would collaborate in the transmission of the faith, there would undoubtedly be many more young people receiving the Good News of the Gospel. However, the Venezuelan church continues to bet day by day for the evangelization of young people and bringing them a message of encouragement in the face of difficulties.
Could you make any suggestions about the Synod of Bishops on synodality?
Es una gran oportunidad que toda la iglesia debe aprovechar, en especial los laicos, pues el sínodo busca reflexionar, entre otras cosas, sobre cómo son escuchados y la manera en que se van construyendo los lazos comunicativos en las comunidades. Con el Sínodo se nos brinda un momento de profunda reflexión sobre la manera en la que estamos siendo Iglesia, es un modo de mirar al interior de la vivencia de nuestra fe para poder dar frutos abundantes. Se invita nuevamente a abrir las puertas de la Iglesia, no solo a quienes frecuentan las parroquias, sino a todos.
How should all Catholics become better at getting more involved so that the Church reaches out more to the people?
Living fully what we profess and that is expressed in respect, tolerance and encounter with others. We can fall into the temptation to consider ourselves judges and criticize those who do not think as we do, or worse, to point out others as "sinners" as if we were perfect.
With these attitudes we do not show a good face of the Church of Jesus Christ who went out to meet publicans, public sinners, marginalized women, soldiers of the Roman army of occupation, lepers... I think that following the example of Jesus we would attract more people to Him.
What do you think of the evangelization of social networks?
As a Social Communicator I see social networks as a great tool for evangelization. We live in an increasingly digital world and we cannot fail to make God present in this space.
On this subject it is important to understand that, just as there are many gifts within the Church, there are also varied ways of evangelizing through social networks that cater to a specific portion of the People of God (children, youth, adults, consecrated, religious, laity...). If we do not understand this, we can fall into the risk of comparing and judging the way in which the networks are used in evangelization, taking away the merit they have. For my part, I use my social networks to publish messages and reflections on our faith and at the same time, I continue to publish my daily experiences because we cannot separate daily life from faith, since we live it not only in the temple but also in our daily life.
"The greatest progress that Venezuela has had, from my point of view, is the discovery of a strong, fraternal and persevering people in the face of difficulties. The church in Venezuela has helped in a great way to this progress that, although it seems small, has an incalculable value".
What did you like most about your stay in Spain?
Undoubtedly, what I liked the most is the great religious richness of the country. Spain is the cradle of great saints and a privileged place of important events for our faith. It has filled my heart to be in such spiritual places, for example, the castle where St. Francis Xavier lived or the monastery of the Incarnation where St. Teresa of Avila lived great moments of intimacy with God.
And what has surprised you most about our country?
What has surprised me most is closely linked to the above and is the architectural richness of the beautiful temples that decorate the whole country, which leads to feel in an atmosphere of prayer and meditation. Who is not pleasantly surprised to contemplate, for example, the beauty of the temple of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona? Well, I am one of those who feel in love when contemplating the beauty that is reflected in these sacred places.
A final word to the benefactors and friends of CARF
Pienso que algo central en la vida de todos los cristianos es hacerse la pregunta ¿Qué quiere Dios de mi? Y responderla desde la oración, porque no es una respuesta que brota solo de nuestros deseos, sino que va en comunión con el querer de Dios que nos conoce perfectamente pues nos creó con gran amor y por lo tanto sabe, qué nos hace felices. Al responder esta pregunta podemos encontrar el lugar exacto en el cual realizarnos plenamente y servir a los demás con gran alegría, bien sea como laicos, consagrados o religiosos. ¿Te has preguntado que quiere Dios de ti?
Marta Santín, Journalist specializing in religious information
