Three days in Cuba for Pope Benedict XVI

A three day papal visit is taking place in Cuba for the first time since 1998 when Pope John Paul II made a brief stay. While on the Communist island, Pope Benedict has photo ops taking place, as well as a Wednesday Mass in Havana’s Revolution Plaza to top off the visit to Cuba. Raul Castro, the Cuban ruler and younger brother of Fidel Castro, met with the pope for photos and private talks behind closed doors. The pope did not make any political statements regarding Cuba, but is praying for Cubans freedom and well-being, saying that “Cuba and the world need change” (“Pope extols Christ, not politics, at Cuba Mass”, 2012). Although the pope prays for Cuba to change their ways, a top government minister for Cuba made it clear that political reform is not in the nation’s future. In a Mass led by Miami’s Archbishop Thomas Wenski, the archbishop called on earlier hopes of Pope John Paul II for more freedoms on the Communist island (“Raul Castro receives pope in Havana; Wenski criticizes Marxism”, 2012). He urged worshippers to want a better Cuba, a Cuba that is free, a Cuba where people can have dignity without persecution. Many people got emotional listening to the sermon being given at Havana’s cathedral Tuesday morning. Nearly eight hundred Cuban-Americans made the trip from areas around Miami to see the pope and listen along with the world as the pope made his homily. For some of the followers, this was their first trip back to Cuba in over fifty years. In a speech given earlier, with Raul Castro sitting by his side, the pope acknowledged them by saying, “I carry in my heart the just aspirations and legitimate desires of all Cubans, wherever they may be” (“Pope Benedict Visits Cuba”, 2012). Pope Benedict has thus far been muted by his public criticism of the country that has been run by the Communist Party of Cuba since the 1960s. Cuban leaders have so far responded diplomatically to Benedict's comments. The island's Communist government never outlawed religion, but it expelled priests and closed religious schools after Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba in 1959. Tensions eased in the early 1990s when the government removed references to atheism in the constitution and let believers of all faiths join the Communist Party. But despite years of lobbying, the church has virtually no access to state-run radio or television, is not allowed to administer schools and has not been granted permission to build new places of worship. The island of 11.2 million people has just 361 priests. Before 1959 there were 700 priests for a population of 6 million. Despite its limitations, the church is now the most influential independent institution in Cuba, thanks in no small part to Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the archbishop of Havana. He has negotiated with Raul Castro for the release of political prisoners, given the government advice on economic policy and allowed church magazines to publish increasingly frank articles about the need for change. Since taking over from brother Fidel, in 2006, Raul Castro has been trying to face up to the reality that Pope Benedict describes, mainly by opening the country’s economic system, if not its political one. Small businesses can now be seen across the island country, with booming restaurants, little jewelry shops and buildings being refurbished in Havana, now that property can be bought and sold for the first time (“Pope Benedict Visits Cuba”, 2012). Although the church has developed a close relationship with Raul Castro, critics complain that the Vatican could be putting more pressure on the regime. The church says it’s trying to strike a delicate balance as an intermediary between the people and the government in a nation that was once officially atheist. A top government minister made clear that the sweeping economic changes under way here would not be accompanied by political reforms that the pope has urged. The comments from the minister, Marino Murillo, the vice president of the Council of Ministers and the official overseeing the steps toward a freer market, amounted to a rebuttal of sorts to the pope, who in recent days has portrayed the political system here as unworkable and has laced his comments since arriving on Monday with calls for increased liberties. The only direct request Benedict had made of Mr. Castro was for Good Friday to be declared a legal national holiday, as the government had done for Christmas Day after Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998. From here, it is completely up to the government and the people of Cuba what will happen in the future for this small Communist island.

References
Raul Castro receives pope in Havana; Wenski criticizes Marxism. (2012, Mar. 28) The Miami Herald. Retrieved from: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/27/2716835/pope-visits-shrine-of-our-lady.html

Pope extols Christ, not politics, at Cuba Mass. (2012, Mar. 28) CNN.com. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/28/world/americas/cuba-pope-visit/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Pope Benedict XVI Visits Cuba. (2012, Mar. 27) ABC News. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/International/pope-benedict-xvi-visits-cuba/story?id=16010603