Prayers for Chavez in Cuba

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STORY: As Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recovers from cancer surgery in Havana, Cuba, Catholics attended mass on Saturday to pray for his health.

Although on the island, neither Venezuela's Vice President Nicolas Maduro nor any of Chavez's family members were present at the service.

The 58-year-old ailing Chavez has neither been seen nor heard from since his surgery on December 11, and he has suffered multiple post-operative complications including a severe lung infection.

He missed his own inauguration on Thursday , but the Supreme Court said he could be sworn in later - in theory meaning he could remain in office for weeks or months from a Havana hospital. There has been no firm evidence he is conscious.

Unlike after Chavez's previous cancer operations in Cuba, the government has published no photos or video of the former soldier's recovery. Neither has he made any of his normally frequent phone calls back home to Venezuelan state television.