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By Steve Wilkinson
Leaving Cuba after his five day visit to Cuba on Sunday January 25th, the Pope told Cubans that the United States blockade was "unjust and unacceptable." The words, spoken as his parting message before he boarded his plane at Jose Martí airport were his strongest condemnation yet of the blockade and were applauded by Fidel Castro.
Fidel told the Pope that while he and the Pope disagreed on some things, the visit had been a tremendous success and an honour for Cuba. "Those who predicted an apocalypse in the 'last bastion of Communism' were proved wrong.'" he said.
Earlier, framed between towering portraits of Che Guevara and Jesus Christ, Havana's Revolution Square had been a sea of colour as 200,000 spectators waved Cuban and Papal flags when the Pope said the final mass.
Gazing out upon the crowd, an affectionate Pope John Paul II chanted "Cuba friend, the Pope is with you."
In a homily laced with good humour, he reiterated the main themes of his visit which had been peace and reconciliation. To tremendous applause he criticised "capitalist neo-liberalism" which, he said: "subordinates the human spirit to the blind forces of the market". He also criticised the US Embargo of Cuba, as well as calling for greater freedom of expression in Cuba itself.
Recognising that Cuba was now a secular, and no longer an atheist, state he said: "A modern state can no longer adopt atheism as one of its political rules."
In the same spirit of jubilation which had characterised the whole four days, the Pope expressed his solidarity with Cuba's plight at being the victim of greater powers. In Camagüey, two days earlier, he had said the US blockade was 'deplorable.' "Such policies always hurt the people," he said.
The warm welcome the Pope received everywhere and the complete absence of any dissent had obviously affected him and after the mass he made a point of walking over to thank Fidel Castro personally.
Despite attempts by reporters in the British media to interpret the Pope's words as criticism of the Cuban government, comments made by the Pope and his Bishops were always carefully measured and balanced by the repeated call for reconciliation.
For example, in Santiago, a speech by the local Bishop, Pedro Meurice Estiu, was reported by the BBC's Tom Gibb as 'condemning Cuba's Communist system.' Gibb told Radio 4 listeners that the Bishop had said the government " had confused the fatherland with a Party." In fact, the Bishop had merely said that some people had confused the fatherland with the party and had rejected it. In its full context, what the Bishop was saying was that Cuban society had been split because of the blockade and that in rejecting all things Cuban, some of the youth had "overvalued all things foreign."
In a telephone interview, Margaret Reyes Mendez, a psychologist who was present at the Mass, told CubaSi: "The people are very pleased by the visit. We think it has been a good thing for the Revolution to have made this reconciliation with religion. I don't think Cuba will be the same again."
When asked if it was true that people in the square had cheered loudest when the Pope mentioned the word 'liberty' she replied; "Some people did cheer, but it could not be interpreted as a rebellion or anything like that. After all, liberty and freedom mean different things to different people. The biggest cheers came when the Pope expressed his solidarity with us. Most Cubans want liberty from the US blockade, after all.
"The main thing is that Fidel asked all Cubans to make the Pope welcome and they did. There was no trouble of any kind. Everything went well and people really made an effort to show affection for him."
The tone was set by Fidel himself who personally greeted Pope John Paul as he landed. In his welcoming speech Fidel said that he had come to a country that was ready to hear his message of peace, hope and social justice.
"Holy Father, we think the same as you on much of the most important questions of the world today," he said, as the Pontiff listened carefully, "and although we may differ on others we bow with great respect to the profound conviction with which you defend your ideas."
In return, Pope John Paul thanked Fidel and said he had come to inspire hope, encourage charity and promote peace. He said that he wanted to offer an atmosphere of freedom and social justice: "May Cuba open up all of its magnificent possibilities to the world, and may the world open up to Cuba."
This was the repeated message throughout the visit. The Pope did make references to the high incidence of family breakdowns and abortion in Cuba, and he did call for the release of some dissidents and more space for the Church to work in education and welfare, but his criticisms of the Government were always balanced by a repeated condemnation of the US policy of blockading the island. Even before the visit began, on the plane to Cuba, when journalists asked him what he hoped for from the US in regards to Cuba he said, "to change, to change."
It was a diplomatic victory for the Cuban government and one which will see greater co-operation between the Catholic Church and Cuba in the future. Shortly before the Pope arrived, Fidel revealed that The Vatican is to enlist the help of Cuban doctors and nurses to work in Catholic missions throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Repeating his view that the Pope and Cuba had a great deal in Common, Fidel told TV viewers that: "This Pope is the biggest headache the imperialists have got."
As if to underline it, as the Pope left Cuba, the American Bishops issued a statement saying that the visit would help them to oppose Washington's policy.
The visit included four open air masses: in Santa Clara, Camagüey, Santiago and Revolution Square in Havana. In addition, the Pope visited the monument housing the remains of Father Felix Varela in the Aula Magna of the University of Havana and crowned the statue of the Virgin of Charity at El Cobre in Santiago. Father Varela is regarded as one of the founders of Cuban nationalism who was exiled by the Spanish in the early part of the 19th century for his anti-colonial teachings.
The Virgin of El Cobre is a tiny wooden mulata (mixed race) madonna which was found floating in the sea by a three fishermen in the early part of the 17th century. The Virgin is regarded as the patron of Cuba and also worshipped by the followers of Santería, the syncretic religion to which most Cubans adhere.
The Pope also visited the Sanctuary of San Lazaro in the town of Rincón, Havana Province, which is the site of an annual pilgrimage to the Saint who is regarded as the patron of sorrow.
-1959 National Catholic Congress gathers tens of thousands in Revolution Square. Speakers praise overthrow of Fulgencio Batista dictatorship but criticise 'Communism, class struggle and atheism.'
-1960 Pastoral letter by Cuban bishops warns against Communism. Church helps organise 'Operation Peter Pan' in which rumours were spread that the government was to confiscate children and send them to Moscow for indoctrination. Fearful parents send an estimated 15,000 children to the USA for adoption.
-1961 Three priests take part in Bay of Pigs invasion. Cuban militia occupy number of churches and briefly imprison leaders suspected of favouring invasion. Large march organised by church is broken up. More than 100 priests expelled. Private and religious schools closed and 460 teaching monks and nuns leave in protest.
-1962 Constitution modified to make Cuba Communist secular state
-1969 Cuba's bishops end policy of opposing revolution and seek 'co-existence.' They denounce U.S. economic embargo for first time.
-1970 During 'Harvest of ten million tons' the Christmas holiday is transferred to the summer to save a day's work.
-1971 In meeting with religious figures in Chile, Castro describes similarities between Christians and revolutionaries.
-1976 New Cuban Constitution makes Cuba atheist Marxist-Leninist state.
-1979 Cuban Communists begin working with Sandinista Christians in Nicaragua. Fidel invites Pope to Cuba.
-1984 Castro attends Methodist service with the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Catholic leaders attend.
-1985 Fidel grants an interview on his views of religion with Brazilian Liberation Theologist, Frei Betto. The subsequent book: 'Fidel and religion' sells two million copies in Cuba alone.
-1989 Cuba invites Pope to visit again.
-1991 Communist Party drops ban on membership by religious believers.
-1992 Constitution amended to make Cuba secular rather than atheist. Freedom from discrimination on grounds of religion is guaranteed.
-1996 Castro meets with Pope John Paul II at Vatican, invites him to visit Cuba.
-1997 Christmas celebrated as official holiday in Cuba .
-1998 Jan. 21-25 Pope visits Cuba.
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