(RNS) — In his first appearance in a New York courtroom on Monday (Jan. 5), ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reportedly uttered the words “In the name of God, you will see that I will be free” and “I am a man of God.” As Maduro — who was arrested by the U.S. on federal drug trafficking charges on Saturday and has pleaded not guilty — hails from a Catholic-majority nation and was born Catholic, one might assume his faith fits neatly into that box. But a number of prominent Venezuelan politicians — including Maduro; his wife, Cilia Flores, who is former president of the country’s National Assembly; and acting President Delcy Rodriguez — are devotees of the late Indian guru Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Known as a “man of miracles” with tens of millions of followers worldwide, he was believed by devotees to have abilities ranging from healing the sick to materializing objects seemingly out of nowhere.  Visitors to Maduro’s private office in Miraflores Palace in Caracas would have seen a large framed portrait …