SALT LAKE CITY — More than 200 Mormon missionaries are pulling out of Venezuela due to security concerns.
Michael Purdy, a Salt Lake City spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a statement that the church has experienced problems renewing visas and obtaining new visas for their U.S. missionaries in Venezuela.
“Consequently, it has been decided to reassign missionaries from the United States serving in Venezuela to other Spanish-speaking missions in Latin America, the U.S. and Canada, where such missionaries are needed,” Purdy said.
The announced withdrawal comes two weeks after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered New Tribes Mission, an evangelical Christian group based in Florida, to leave the country. Chavez accused the group of having ties to the CIA and abusing indigenous peoples.
New Tribes Mission, which has worked in Venezuela for 59 years, strongly denies the claims and has requested discussions with Chavez to resolve the dispute.
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