Hugo Rafael Chavez
A member of Venezuela's Socialist Party came up with a modified version of the Christian "Lord's Prayer" not to praise God but to express adoration for Hugo Chavez, a former leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). The purpose of this new "prayer" was to implore to Chavez to protect the nation from the evils of capitalism.
The party member who came up with this idea was delegate Maria Estrella Uribe who recited it on Monday at the PSUV party conference. The newly formed proclamation of "faith" for Hugo Chavez is almost identical to the original "Lord's Prayer" except words such as "Our Father" were replaced with the name of the former president of Venezuela.
The prayer goes as follows:
"Our Chavez who art in heaven, the earth, the sea and we delegates
Hallowed be your name, may your legacy come to us so we can spread it to people here and elsewhere. Give us your light to guide us every day. Lead us not into the temptation of capitalism, deliver us from the evil of the oligarchy, like the crime of contraband, because ours is the homeland, the peace and life forever and ever. Amen. Viva Chavez!"
Born into a working-class family and having grown up extremely unsatisfied with Venezuelan politics, Hugo Rafael Chavez started a career as a military officer and later led to founding the PSUV where he promoted his 21st version of socialism. He was president of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. Internationally, Chavez was aligned with the communist governments of Cuba's Fidel Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales and was seen as a notable adversary to the United States during the Bush administration.
Though Chavez died in 2013 at the age of 58, his legacy still poses great significance in present day Venezuela. There are still posters of the leader all over the country and some of his most notable political speeches are aired through radio and television. Many of his former political rivals including Nicolas Maduro, the current president, have gone as far as to call this phenomenon of praising Chavez a personal cult.
