The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize 2025, called on Venezuelans this Sunday to join a “mass pilgrimage” on December 5 in Guanare, the capital of Portuguesa state, in the western part of the country.
The announcement was made after participating in a mass in Los Teques, a locality in the Miranda state near Caracas, and is part of the so-called "Pilgrimage of Hope," an initiative of the Venezuelan Catholic Church within the Coromotano Jubilee Year 2026-2027.
The call is destined for the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Coromoto, patroness of Venezuela, in Guanare.
Machado described the day as a "day of prayer and unity" for all Venezuelans.
Among the intentions of the march, the opposition leader mentioned calling for the release of more than 300 political prisoners recorded by non-governmental organizations —321 according to Foro Penal as of November 9, 2026—, for the return of Venezuelans abroad, for the reunification of families, and for the upcoming year to be the "definitive" one for Venezuela.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras has also extended his invitation to the great pilgrimage on December 5, adding the support of the ecclesiastical hierarchy to the call.
The Coromotano Jubilee Year was inaugurated on September 8, 2026, under the motto "Under Your Mantle, Venezuela is Renewed," and will last until September 8, 2027, commemorating the 375th anniversary of the appearance of the Virgin of Coromoto and the 75th anniversary of her canonical coronation.
The announcement comes at a time of high political expectation in Venezuela.
Machado returned to the country on October 25 after nearly ten months abroad, being greeted by crowds, having left clandestinely in December 2025.
In parallel, the fourth cycle of dialogue between the Chavista government and a sector of the opposition began on Saturday, although Machado's party does not have direct representation in those negotiations.
The situation of political prisoners remains one of the central issues of the Venezuelan crisis: despite the successive rounds of releases announced by the Chavista regime since January 2026, the number of detainees for political reasons remains over 300, according to human rights organizations.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized Machado in 2025 "for her tireless work promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."
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