Cuba: One Candle to God and Another to the DevilPor Vicente Botin (*) Spain, Abril 3,2012
Life as usual in Cuba after the Pope’s visit. But the sets that made for two days to the Caribbean island in a transcript of Villar del Río, the people of the film by Luis Garcia Berlanga, Welcome Mr. Marshall, the actors improvised again represent their true roles. Nothing has changed except that the Good Friday holiday is festive as Christmas is the day in Cuba since the visit of John Paul II in 1998.
The government and the Catholic Church, united in strange marriage, have been strengthened by the visit of the Bishop of Rome. Both try to convince Tyrians and Trojans that warm Raul Castro’s economic reforms and the release and exile of dissidents blessed by Cardinal Ortega, are substantial changes. Difficulty understanding the words of Benedict XVI that? Marxist ideology no longer correspond to reality?. Is tantamount to condemning the doctrine of the church for the atrocities of the Inquisition. In Cuba there is the Marxist ideology that held down the people but a government that says Marxist and relies on repressive laws that prevent the free exercise of human rights.
The Pope? Forgot to give him a minute to his flock, the most oppressed that needed to be heard? Said Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White, who could not attend the Mass of Joseph Ratzinger in Havana to be arrested with her husband, former political prisoner Angel Moya, as they walked to the Plaza of the Revolution. Is it acceptable that the pope officiates Mass before tens of thousands of Cubans released to go to work, while police detained or forced to stay home to hundreds of dissidents to concentration not to go to the Pope?
It is true that the Pope spoke of the need to expand freedoms, recalling the suffering of political prisoners and their families and referred to the U.S. embargo on Cuba remains. But dissent was expecting more. In Latin American dictators like Augusto Pinochet in Chile, church institutions, like the Vicariate of Solidarity, denounced the repression and violation of human rights and provided social and legal assistance to detainees and relatives of the disappeared ever been evicted from the church where they took refuge to call international attention to their demands. In Cuba, however, Cardinal Jaime Ortega asked the police to vacate a temple where dissidents sought refuge several days before the pope’s visit because, as noted by a note from the archdiocese? Nobody has the right to convert the temple in political trenches?.
? What makes a pope??? Fidel Castro asked Benedict XVI during the meeting he had with him in Havana. What does the Catholic Church in Cuba? wonder many Cubans. No bishop dared to tell the Pope as Archbishop Pedro Meurice, archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, John Paul II, in 1998? I present in this Eucharist to all those Cuban and Santiago can not find meaning in their lives that did not qualify and develop a life plan because of a path of depersonalization that is the fruit of paternalism. I present also a growing number of Cubans who have confused the country with a party, the nation with the historical process we have experienced in recent decades, and culture with an ideology?.
A Monsignor Meurice, now deceased, the Cuban bishops reproached her? Lack of prudence? because his words might cause a conflict with the government. This time no prelate went off the script written by Cardinal Ortega, who wants to preserve at all costs? Spring? keeping with the government of Raul Castro.
In recent years, the Catholic Church has gained weight and influence in Cuban society. The same government that denies the fundamental rights enables people to exercise those rights to the Catholic Church. Cardinal Ortega is a privileged partner of Raul Castro and as such has assumed a right of representation that does not belong.
The peaceful opposition, strongly suppressed, claiming its right to participate. As Rafael Rojas said, not all Cuban society is communist or Catholic, to ask after? What kind of citizens will end up becoming the Caribbean country, if standardized double hegemony of the Communist Party on political society and the Catholic Church on civil society??
Monsignor Jaime Ortega plays with marked cards. In Cuba there is a society gagged and brutally suppressed claiming rights and the Catholic Church can not take care of this situation to increase their influence. You can not put a hare and the hounds. As Carlo Levi wrote,? Christ Stopped at Eboli?, But in Cuba can not pass by.
Sources: Vicente Botin/Spain/El Pais/InternetPhoto/TheCubanHistory.com
Cuba: Una Vela a Dios y Otra al Diablo/ The Cuban History/ Arnoldo Varona, Editor
CUBA: UNA VELA A DIOS Y OTRA AL DIABLO
Por Vicente Botin (*)
La vida sigue igual en Cuba después de la visita del Papa. Sin los decorados que convirtieron por dos días a la isla caribeña en un trasunto de Villar del Río, el pueblo de la película de Luis García Berlanga, Bienvenido Mister Marshall, los improvisados actores vuelven a representar sus verdaderos papeles. Nada ha cambiado, salvo que el Viernes Santo será festivo como festivo es el día de Navidad en Cuba desde la visita de Juan Pablo II, en 1998.
El gobierno y la iglesia católica, unidos en extraño maridaje, han salido fortalecidos por la visita del Obispo de Roma. Ambos tratan de convencer a tirios y troyanos de que las tibias reformas económicas de Raúl Castro y la excarcelación y destierro de disidentes bendecida por el cardenal Ortega, son cambios sustanciales. Cuesta trabajo entender las palabras de Benedicto XVI de que la ideología marxista ya no responde a la realidad. Es tanto como condenar la doctrina de la iglesia por las atrocidades de la Inquisición. En Cuba no es la ideología marxista la que mantiene oprimido al pueblo, sino un gobierno que se dice marxista y se apoya en leyes represivas que impiden el libre ejercicio de los derechos humanos.
El Papa olvidó darle un minuto a su rebaño, al sector más oprimido que necesitaba que lo escuchara, dijo Berta Soler, líder de las Damas de Blanco, que no pudo asistir a la misa de Joseph Ratzinger en La Habana al ser detenida junto a su esposo, el expreso político Ángel Moya, cuando se dirigían a la Plaza de la Revolución. ¿Es aceptable que el Papa oficie una misa ante decenas de miles de cubanos liberados de ir a trabajar, mientras la policía detenía u obligaba a permanecer en sus casas a centenares de disidentes para que no acudieran a la concentración papal?
Es cierto que el Papa se refirió a la necesidad de ampliar las libertades, que recordó el sufrimiento de los presos políticos y de sus familiares y que aludió al embargo que Estados Unidos mantiene sobre Cuba. Pero la disidencia esperaba más. En dictaduras latinoamericanas como la de Augusto Pinochet, en Chile, instituciones de la Iglesia, como la Vicaría de la Solidaridad, denunciaron la represión y la violación de los derechos humanos y prestaron asistencia social y legal a los detenidos y a los familiares de los detenidos desaparecidos que jamás fueron desalojados de las iglesias donde se refugiaron para llamar la atención internacional sobre sus demandas. En Cuba, por el contrario, el cardenal Jaime Ortega pidió a la policía que desalojara un templo donde se refugiaron varios disidentes días antes de la visita del Papa porque, como señaló una nota del arzobispado, nadie tiene derecho a convertir los templos en trincheras políticas.
¿Qué hace un Papa? le preguntó Fidel Castro a Benedicto XVI durante el encuentro que mantuvo con él en La Habana. ¿Qué hace la Iglesia Católica en Cuba? se preguntan muchos cubanos. Ningún obispo se atrevió a decirle al Papa, como monseñor Pedro Meurice, arzobispo de Santiago de Cuba, a Juan Pablo II, en 1998: Deseo presentar en esta eucaristía a todos aquellos cubanos y santiagueros que no encuentran sentido a sus vidas, que no han podido optar y desarrollar un proyecto de vida por causa de un camino de despersonalización que es fruto del paternalismo. Le presento, además, a un número creciente de cubanos que han confundido la Patria con un partido, la nación con el proceso histórico que hemos vivido en las últimas décadas, y la cultura con una ideología.
A monseñor Meurice, ya fallecido, los obispos cubanos le reprocharon su falta de prudencia porque sus palabras podían provocar un conflicto con el gobierno. Esta vez ningún prelado se salió del guión escrito por el cardenal Ortega, que quiere preservar a toda costa la primavera que mantiene con el gobierno de Raúl Castro.
En los últimos años, la Iglesia Católica ha ganado peso e influencia en la sociedad cubana. El mismo gobierno que niega al pueblo derechos fundamentales permite el ejercicio de esos derechos a la Iglesia Católica. El cardenal Ortega es un interlocutor privilegiado de Raúl Castro y como tal se ha arrogado un derecho de representatividad que no le corresponde.
La oposición pacífica, fuertemente reprimida, reclama su derecho de participación. Como dice Rafael Rojas, no toda la sociedad cubana es comunista o católica, para preguntarse después ¿Qué tipo de ciudadanía acabará constituyéndose en ese país caribeño, si se normaliza la hegemonía doble del partido comunista sobre la sociedad política y de la Iglesia católica sobre la sociedad civil?
Monseñor Jaime Ortega juega con cartas marcadas. En Cuba hay una sociedad amordazada y duramente reprimida que reclama sus derechos y la Iglesia católica no puede valerse de esa situación para aumentar su influencia. No se puede poner una vela a Dios y otra al diablo. Como escribió Carlo Levi, Cristo se detuvo en Eboli, pero en Cuba no puede pasar de largo.
Sources: Vicente Botin*/Spain/El Pais/InternetPhoto/TheCubanHistory.com
Cuba: Una Vela a Dios y Otra al Diablo/ The Cuban History/ Arnoldo Varona, Editor
(*) VICENTE BOTIN:
Vicente Botín, writer and journalist. He was born in Burgos (Spain) and studied Journalism, Politics and Sociology in Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Vicente Botín started in Press mostly about International Politics, specially Latin America. In 1971 he travelled across the whole continent as on-the-scene reporter for different broadcast Media and from Chile he was one the first Spanish journalist enterviwed President Salvador Allende.
In 1972 he started in Televisión Española (TVE). He travelled across the world making reports of many important events of that time: France, United Kingdom, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco y Zimbabwe, among others.
Nevertheless his major works were about Latin America: In the 60’s he made documentaries in Nicaragua (Sandinismo y Contra), El Salvador (civil war), Paraguay (coup d’état against Alfredo Stroessner), Cuba (he enterviewd Fidel Castro), Ecuador (amazon rainforest), Haiti (first triumph of Jean Bertrand Aristide), and Brasil, Guatemala, Perú, Chile and Honduras.
In coproduction between Televisión Española and UNHCR he film the documentary “Duro oficio el exilio”, about the drama of Central America refugees.
Years later he was the director of En Portada, long documentaries program of TVE, but he continued making reports across the world. The most representative was “El descubrimiento de la lentitud”, film abord a copy of the Santa María Caravel, a trip made in the same conditions that Cristóbal Colón has in his discovered of America.
From 1999 to 2004 he was the Correspondent in Buenos Aires (Argentina) for Televisión Española, including the other six countries of South America. He made a lot of reports and documentaries about the argentinian crisis caused by the fall of the President Fernando de la Rúa, the deaths caused by starvation of the childrem of Tucumán; and many others about the trial against the dictator Augusto Pinochet, the problems in Bolivia related to the coca crops; the new Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva…
From 2005 to 2008 he was the Correspondent in Cuba for Televisión Española. From this Caribbean island he inform with rigour, despite the pressures and threats of the Government, about Human Rights and opposition groups. He also inform about the Fidel Castro disease and the take over from his brother Raúl Castro.
During this years he also has made radio programs and many articules for many different Spanish Press Media.
When he finished his correspondent in Cuba he wrote “Los funerales de Castro” (Editorial Ariel. 2009) and “Raúl Castro: La pulga que cabalgó al tigre” (Editorial Ariel. 2010). The first one about the hard situation of the Cuba citizens, and the other is a complete biography of Raúl Castro.
Vicente Botin is nowadays columnist of Spanish newspapers (El País and El Mundo among others) and make lectures in Spain and the United States about the social, economical and political situation of Cuba: in Casa de América, in Madrid and Columbia University in New York, Seton Hall in New Jersey; and also for United Nations, invited by the United Nations Correspondet’s Association.
Sources: Wiki/TheCubanHistory/Arnoldo Varona, Editor