CARACAS (CWNews.com) - Venezuela's bishops today asked President Hugo Chavez to stop his verbal attacks on the Catholic Church and join them in building a climate of respect and dialogue in advance of next month's elections.

    In an open letter to Chavez, the bishops suggested the president sit down with them to end the attacks and recriminations. On a recent trip to Cuba, Chavez accused the Church of being an accomplice in the corruption of past governments. Meanwhile, the bishops have expressed concerns over the fairness of next month's elections, because the majority of election officials are hand-picked members of Chavez' own political party.

    Venezuelans will go to the polls May 28 as called for by a new constitution pushed through last year by Chavez. The constitution requires elections to "re-legitimize" most public offices including the presidency, governorships, and most local posts.

    Church leaders insist they aren't taking a political position but rather asking "the president to stop dividing the church into those who are with him or those who are against him, and therefore who are the devil," said Archbishop Ignacio Velasco of Caracas.