NEWS & VIEWS

Red Cubans wave white flag to pave way for Pope's visit

      With the first visit ever of Pope John Paul II to the tiny communist island of Cuba just a few months away, tensions have been mounting over fears the Cuban government would interfere and place obstacles in the way of the pontiff’s plans. However, yesterday Church leaders in Cuba confirmed that government leaders have made concessions. These include furnishing public transportation to and from all papal events on the island, granting permission for pilgrim ships coming to Havana from the States to dock and allowing press coverage of all activities while the Pope is there.

   Cuba, which is heavily Roman Catholic, but has suffered from the persecution of Communist dictator Fidel Castro who, when he took over declared atheism as standard state policy. However, in 1994, with the decline of Communism in the Soviet Union and fearing reprisal, he softened his stance somewhat, allowing controlled church activities, but always under his command. The Holy Father’s announcement that he was coming to Cuba has forced Castro into a corner where he must cooperate or feel the global wrath if he doesn’t cooperate with this Pope of Peace.

   The concessions are a tremendous breakthrough considering they are precedent-setting and many have expressed prayerful hope that John Paul’s papal trip to Cuba will open the door to greater religious freedom and the Church can once again flourish among the Cuban flock. The concessions have somewhat eased the concerns of Vatican officials who had expressed alarm at the lack of cooperation by the Cuban government with Cuban Roman Catholic clergy

Information for this article gathered from Associated Press and Catholic World News Service

November 3, 1997 volume 8, no. 22         DAILY CATHOLIC