CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s government says Pope Francis will meet with President Nicolás Maduro at the Vatican on Monday.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas confirmed the meeting via Twitter but provided no additional details.
The stop at the Vatican, which wasn’t previously announced, comes amid a tense standoff in Venezuela over the suspension of a recall referendum campaign seeking Maduro’s removal and the opposition-controlled congress’ declaration that the government had carried out a coup.
The Vatican has been attempting to mediate a resolution to the political crisis and opposition leaders on Monday met with Vatican representatives in Caracas.
Maduro had been in the Middle East on a multi-nation tour seeking to rally support for oil production cuts.