Roman Catholics, Protestants and Jewish joined on Sunday in an ecumenical ceremony to pray for private network RCTV Internacional, for its employees, for unity, reconciliation and peace in Venezuela. Venezuelan cable companies dropped transmission of the channel some days ago.

The ceremony, which took place at Brión Square in the Chacaíto area of Caracas, started at about 1 p.m. and lasted until 3 p. m.

Chants, prayers, and calls to maintain peaceful protests in the streets in defense of fundamental and constitutional rights were frequent in the event.

Journalist Pedro Beaumont, a worker of the popular Venezuelan channel, highlighted that after the closure of RCTV on May 28, 2007 the employees looked for alternatives to open a window to contact people. To this end, the owners of the station established a new TV network, RCTV Internacional, which was recently taken off the air by cable companies. Cable TV networks were forced to discontinue RCTV Internacional amidst threats of multi-million penalties by the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel).

"The oppressive power of the government wants to stifle RCTV Internacional -and under orders countering the spirit of law and fundamental guarantees, including freedom of expression which is an essential principle of the democratic system, turned off the screen (of RCTV Internacional), closed the windows and cut the ties between people and authorities," said Beaumont.

He added that "the workers of RCTV Internacional, who are aware that they are facing imminent unemployment, do not intend to beg or offer a pitiful image."

After Beaumont's remarks, William Echeverría, the president of the Venezuelan Journalist's Association (CNP), urged people to pray for peace and to achieve peace in the South American country despite the differences, "without discrimination or grievances."

The student movement was also present in the ecumenical event. Adriana Mendoza represented university students and urged people to fight "for a country where everyone can speak without fear; wear one color or another without fear of causing troubles; can watch, read or listen to the media they want rather than the media imposed by the government; a nation where people save money to invest rather than to buy a one-way ticket to leave the country."

The ceremony was presided over by priest Honeger Molina, rabbi Iona Blickstein and pastor José Vergará, who prayed for RCTV and for the young people killed in the riots that took place in the state of Mérida.

Journalists of RCTV also prayed for political prisoners and victims of political persecution.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas