Venezuela’s Catholic Church calls scandal over rotten food ‘a sin,’ blames Chavez’s government

Venezuela’s clergy condemns gov’t over rotten food

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s Roman Catholic Church is blaming the government of President Hugo Chavez for the decomposition of more than 22,000 tons (20,000 metric tons) of food inside a port.

Church leaders condemn what they call the irresponsibility of officials at the state-run company that imported the food, calling the scandal “a sin that Heaven is crying over.”

Chavez has urged prosecutors to bring all those responsible to justice. Authorities have arrested the ex-president of the company and two other officials.

The Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference said Tuesday the decomposed food is an example of government mismanagement. It complained of what it calls “the moral deterioration of public institutions.”