María Corina Machado attends Mass at Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Shepherdess

María Corina Machado attended Sunday Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Shepherdess in Barquisimeto on Oct. 25, marking her first public appearance since returning to Venezuela from exile. Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and coordinator of the Vente Venezuela party, arrived at the shrine following a nearly year-long period abroad.

Machado traveled to the shrine to express thanks to the Virgin Mary for her safe return to the country. After the liturgy, she departed by vehicle in a caravan toward Caracas.

Her return follows an exile that began in December 2025, when she was moved from Venezuela to Oslo, Norway, via an extraction operation coordinated from the United States. Machado had previously lived in hiding following the July 2024 presidential election. She remains a prominent figure in the Venezuelan opposition, having campaigned for Edmundo González during the 2024 election cycle.