Pope Leo XIV has met with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the Vatican. During Monday's meeting, which was not previously announced, the Venezuelan leader asked the pope to interce

During a Fox News interview, the opposition leader said Venezuelans want to share her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize with the U.S. president.

María Corina Machado said the day of Nicolás Maduro's capture "will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny" and that President Trump and the U.S. "have done much more than anybody thought was possible."

With Nicolás Maduro out, experts say Nobel laureate María Corina Machado and Edmundo González could lead Venezuela’s transition, though major hurdles remain.

U.S. intelligence suggested María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, would struggle to lead the government. But her relationship with Trump officials had been souring for months.

María Corina Machado said she asked the pope to help with the release of more than 1,000 political prisoners "and for an immediate transition to democracy."