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Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores posted a message on social media this Resurrection Sunday calling for unity, dialogue, and reconciliation in Venezuela, from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they have been held since their capture three months ago.
The text, published on the X and Telegram accounts of the ousted leader, is filled with biblical references and states: "Death does not win: Christ wins. Lies do not win: the truth wins. Hate does not win: love wins."
Maduro also called upon the resurrection of Lazarus to ask for the removal of "the stone of hatred, of lies, of division, and of resentment," and added: "There is no resurrection without passion. The cross comes first, along with pain and dedication, but then comes new life."
The cynicism of the message does not go unnoticed: the same man who publicly stated in January 2023 that the devil and evil wear a cassock —referring to the Venezuelan Catholic Church, which denounced human rights violations— now appeals to Christian faith from a cell in New York.
This is the second public message from the couple since their capture on January 3, 2026, when U.S. special forces arrested them in Caracas during the so-called "Operation Absolute Resolution."
The first was published on March 28, two days after his second court hearing before Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Federal Court for the Southern District of New York, where they claimed to be well, strong, calm, and in constant prayer and called to "continue consolidating the peace of the country, national unity, reconciliation, forgiveness, and reunion among all."
In that hearing, the judge rejected the defense's motion to dismiss the charges —which provoked laughter in the courtroom— while Maduro continuously moved his legs, drank water frequently and showed nervous tics.
Maduro faces four federal charges with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment: conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess war weapons. Flores is charged with offenses related to drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of weapons.
The contrast between the rhetoric of reconciliation and the former dictator's record is striking: according to the Foro Penal, his regime accumulated more than 18,944 political detentions since 2014, and Venezuela had 777 political prisoners in January 2026, despite the releases that began following his arrest.
While Maduro preaches from his cell, Venezuela is entering a new phase under the acting president Delcy Rodríguez, appointed by the Supreme Court on January 5, 2026, who played a key role in an unprecedented rapprochement with the Trump administration: on March 9, Washington formally recognized her government and announced an agreement for the exploitation of Venezuelan minerals, and on April 1, the United States removed Rodríguez from the sanctions list.
The congresswoman María Elvira Salazar encapsulated the moment with a powerful phrase: all dictators eventually face justice.
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