Holding candles, hundreds pray for Chavez

Chavez's supporters gathered on a wide stairway in a hillside park near the presidential palace. They lit candles at sunset and sang along with a recording of a healthy Chavez belting out the national anthem.

Some wiped away tears. Others closed their eyes and prayed.

Some said they felt sad, yet still hopeful that Chavez might be able to survive.

“We're praying for the president, for him to get through all of this,” said Ana Perez, a seamstress holding a candle and shielding her flame from the breeze with a piece of paper.

Her eyes filled with tears as she talked about Chavez. “There is no other president like this one. He's unique,” she said, wiping a wet cheek.

“He's going to come out of all of this, and he's going to get better,” Perez said. “He's survived many hard things. He's strong.”

A group of indigenous people wearing colorful dresses, beads and feathers danced around a bonfire at the base of the stairs. One man blew on a conch shell, while others shook maracas as they danced around the flames.

Chavez hasn't been seen since he returned to Venezuela on Monday from Cuba, where for 10 weeks he was recovering and fighting complications following his latest cancer surgery Dec. 11.

Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Friday night that he and other officials had met with Chavez at the military hospital. Maduro said Chavez is continuing to undergo treatment for “respiratory insufficiency” and is breathing through a tracheal tube, which hinders speech.

“He communicated with us through various written ways to give us his guidance,” Maduro said, speaking on television alongside other aides at the hospital. Maduro said Chavez was smiling and in an energetic mood, “with an immense strength of will.”

He said they talked with Chavez in three sessions lasting about five hours. “We came out filled with his strength,” Maduro said.

During the vigil, some in the crowd held photos of Chavez while a preacher spoke from a stage, saying: “The president is going to be healthy!”

The government has not given details about the treatment Chavez is undergoing, and hasn't identified the type or exact location of the tumors that have been removed from his pelvic region.

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua read a lengthy letter from Chavez on Friday to a gathering of African and South American leaders in Equatorial Guinea.

In the letter, which ran for about 1,500 words, Chavez said he was sorry not to be able to attend the meeting. Chavez denounced Western military intervention in countries such as Libya in recent years, and called for more “South-South cooperation.”

The letter ended with the words: “We will live and be triumphant!”

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