The Catholic Priest Who Has Maduro’s Ear

The Rev. Numa Molina wields unusual power for a parish priest in a working-class commuter town near the Caribbean coast.

The Venezuelan Jesuit is on a first-name basis with the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. He conducts private Masses for Mr. Maduro’s family and advises his son, a ruling party lawmaker, on his outreach to the Roman Catholic Church, Venezuela’s dominant faith.

Father Molina, 68, regularly visits the Vatican, where he once celebrated a private Mass with Pope Francis and was Mr. Maduro’s messenger.