Chavez and Church in bitter exchange

The head of the Roman Catholic church in Venezuela, Baltazar Porras, has accused President Hugo Chavez of encouraging violence ahead of general elections in less than two weeks.

Monsignor Porras, the head of Venezuela's bishops' conference, was responding to a letter from Mr Chavez in which he warned the bishops to stay out of politics, and said that nothing could stop the revolution he had started.

Monsignor Porras has been an outspoken critic of Mr Chavez, accusing him of silencing opposition and undermining the independence of Venezuela's institutions. Mr Chavez is seeking re-election for a six-year term in the elections, which were called after his constitutional reforms were approved in December.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service