Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met with Pope Francis, requesting his intercession for detained Venezuelans. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, specifically asked the Pope to advocate for those who remain kidnapped and disappeared. The Pope, who has previously called for Venezuela's independence and decried the use of military force, also addressed human rights in the country. This meeting occurs as Venezuela's government announced the release of 116 prisoners, a figure disputed by rights groups, amid ongoing demands for the release of political prisoners.