CUBA
Castro, Church Discuss
Political Prisoners
By Patricia Grogg
HAVANA (IPS) - Talks between the
government of President Raúl Castro and
leaders of the Catholic Church in Cuba
may alleviate internal tensions and lead
to the release of political prisoners,
although the dialogue should be extended
to include other social sectors in the
country, religious leaders and analysts
told IPS.
Castro met Wednesday with the archbishop
of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, and
with the head of the Cuban bishop's
conference, archbishop Dionisio García,
to discuss "matters of common interest"
and the "favourable development of
relations between the Catholic Church
and the Cuban state," according to
official sources.
The meeting, requested by the Church,
went on for over four hours, and touched
on topics like conditions of prison
inmates and the Ladies in White, who
hold a peaceful protest march every
Sunday demanding the release of their
husbands and sons, who they consider
political prisoners.
In early May the cardinal successfully
interceded with the authorities for the
silent protests to be allowed without
hindrance.
At a press conference Thursday, Ortega
said the conversations "got off to a
magnificent start" and "must continue
soon." He confirmed that the issue of
the prisoners is being addressed
"seriously" and said it was an ongoing
issue, which the Church hoped would be
favourably resolved.
In Cardinal Ortega's view, the meeting
with Castro implied support for the
Church's efforts as a mediator, as well
as "recognition" of its role as an
interlocutor.
Among the expectations aroused by the
meeting, some religious experts are
already saying that it could be the
start of a series of meetings that could
be joined by representatives of diverse
sectors of Cuban society.
"There is an urgent need for efforts
that contribute to opening up paths of
hope, and I think the 'mediator role' of
the Catholic Church between the
authorities and the rest of civil
society is very positive," Cuban
anthropologist María Ileana Faguada, a
scholar of religions of African origin,
told IPS.
However, she pointed out the risk of
excluding groups in society. In order to
prevent this the participation of other
mediators is essential, and "would be
the only valid way to attempt to listen
to as many voices as possible, in a
society that urgently needs to progress
towards pluralism," she said.
In fact, the Cuban Council of Churches,
made up of most of the country's
Protestant churches, asked Castro for a
similar meeting, which could take place
very soon, Enrique López Oliva,
secretary of the Cuban chapter of the
Commission for the Study of the History
of the Church in Latin America (CEHILA-CUBA),
told IPS.
López Oliva said that about 20 years
ago, then president Fidel Castro met
with leaders of Cuban churches and
ecumenical movements, and subsequently
with representatives of the Catholic
Church, although there was no follow-up
to these talks, as some religious
sectors had hoped.
But "the present context is different,
both domestically and internationally,"
and the need for exchanges of this kind
is becoming pressing, in order to foment
a new national consensus and begin a new
phase in the search for solutions to
serious national problems, López Oliva
said.
Baptist pastor Raúl Suárez, who 20 years
ago founded the Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Centre, a multi-faith
organisation of Christian inspiration,
told IPS that any effort to strengthen
unity among Cubans helps the movement
towards a society with more justice and
human dignity, "which we all want."
"We're glad that the country's
leadership and the Catholic Church have
had this friendly meeting, with
prospects for improving and
strengthening relations," said Suárez,
who has been a member of the Cuban
parliament for the past several years.
One of the 75 dissidents imprisoned in
2003 on charges of conspiring with a
foreign power (the United States) to
destabilise the Cuban state, Oscar
Espinosa Chepe, who is on conditional
release from prison on health grounds,
told IPS that "all Cubans of goodwill,
whether believers or not," should
support the efforts of the Catholic
Church leadership.
According to reports from the Cuban
Commission for Human Rights and National
Reconciliation, headed by dissident
activist Elizardo Sánchez, there are 200
people imprisoned for political reasons
on the island. The government claims
that all dissidents are mercenaries in
the pay of Washington and does not
recognise the existence of "political
prisoners."
Dissident Guillermo Fariñas -- not a
detainee -- has been on hunger strike
since Feb. 24 to demand the release of
at least 26 political prisoners whose
state of health is poor, but the
government has said it will not give in
to blackmail or similar pressure.
Fariñas began his fast the day after
imprisoned dissident Orlando Zapata died
on the 85th day of a hunger strike.
At the press conference, Ortega said
that two priests, Ramón Suárez and José
Félix, twice visited Fariñas in hospital
in the central Cuban city of Santa
Clara, where he is in intensive care,
and asked him to have confidence in the
Church's efforts on the prisoners'
behalf. |
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