That's Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Fidel Castro of Cuba.

The reason I attached this snugly moment is to highlight the ideological intimacy between Castro, the only living communist icon in the western hemisphere, and Chavez, the president of Venezuela, whose populist socialism is walking, at least to some, a parallel path of authoritarian government control and nationalization of resources.

The difference? Highlighted today in a great AP piece about Chavez's "reaching out" to clergy. While Castro kept his country officially "atheist" for most of his rule (with a notable thaw in the last 10 years) Chavez seems to be looking more towards a partnership with the church:

President Hugo Chavez calls Jesus a guiding light for his self-styled socialist revolution.

But his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church is complicated and sometimes strained. Even as the leftist leader has invited Catholic priests to share their ideas on transforming Venezuela into a socialist state, he has clashed with some priests who are critical of him...

...

The Venezuelan leader peppers his speeches with Bible verses and often describes his political movement as a struggle between good and evil, such as when he famously called U.S. President George W. Bush "the devil" in a speech to the United Nations last year.

I love the last part. As President Bush readies himself to tour Latin America this week, he should take note - his arch-nemesis can chapter and verse as well.

But wait - doesn't the capitalist democratic leader automatically win the award for Most Christian? I mean, this is America we're talking about. And what do socialists know about the Bible?

"Christianity is essentially socialist, so no one - no Christian, no Catholic - should be alarmed," said Chavez, who was once an altar boy and says his brand of socialism will not copy Soviet or Cuban communism despite his close friendship with Fidel Castro.

Chavez says if he had not entered politics, he would have loved to be a priest. He calls Jesus an exemplary revolutionary and often recalls the Bible passage that declares it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

It reminds me of the futuristic novels of
Ira Levin and Aldous Huxley that pondered future dystopias based on the marriage of Marxism and Christianity. I mean - I guess the parallels are there.

But, of course, not everyone is buying the demagogue's bid for sanctity.

Monsignor Roberto Luckert... has warned that Venezuela is headed for communism and that the shift could infringe on freedoms. In a January speech, Chavez accused Luckert, the archbishop of Coro, of telling lies and living an ungodly privileged life.

Chavez said the priest is doomed to go to hell - to which Luckert responded: "It seems he's going to hell, too.

...

At home, Luckert has been one of the most outspoken critics of Chavez. The archbishop recently told Venezuela's Union Radio that, while Chavez gives sermon-like speeches, his government is spending money lavishly. Just as Chavez urged him to live more humbly,Luckert replied that "I invite him to take a dugout canoe (instead of the presidential jet) and go to Nicaragua."

When's the last time a Monsignor told you to take a dugout canoe to Nicaragua? Me neither. We must be doing something right.