Vatican Calls on the U.S. to Grant Maduro Asylum in Russia: The Washington Post

According to The Washington Post, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin had previously "urgently summoned" U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch to request detailed information about Washington's plans in Venezuela. This meeting had not been publicly reported.

The Cardinal also attempted to speak with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an effort to prevent bloodshed and destabilization in Venezuela, the publication reports.

Parolin was interested to know whether the U.S. intended to target only drug traffickers or if the White House aimed to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's regime. The Vatican Secretary of State acknowledged that the Venezuelan leader "must go," but stated that Russia is supposedly prepared to offer asylum to Maduro and urged Washington to exercise patience on this matter.