Cardinal Urosa Savino said goodbye to his duties as Archbishop of Caracas

During the celebration, the cardinal said that he is retiring as archbishop, but he does not leave Venezuela and assured that he will continue to work "for the defense of the rights of the Venezuelan people."

Urosa Savino said that the situation is living the country is a consequence of having left the faith aside. "Faith when we came and felt it filled us with joy, we are called to serve Christ explicitly," he said.

He addressed a prayer on behalf of Venezuelans to "resolve our conflicts (in the country) peacefully".

In this regard, he commented that "the suffering of relatives of political prisoners is heartbreaking".

He congratulated the new Cardinal of Caracas, Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo, stating that "he had a long and very complete career, with total dedication and a great willingness to work for the glory of God "

. Mass, which was in charge of the now excardenal, took place at the Church of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, Florida, on the morning of this Saturday and was attended by Monsignor Jesus Gonzalez de Zárate, recently appointed by the Pope as archbishop of Cumana; the auxiliary bishops of Caracas and the clergy of the capital.

On July 9, the Vatican Press Service reports that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Urosa Savino because of his 75th birthday, at which time the prelates have already retired.

Urosa Savino called on Venezuelans to welcome Baltazar Porras with "love and respect" just as they did in the exercise of their duties .