February 13, 2008
Will Bertone Choose the Path of Freedom?
A Reuters report released this afternoon quotes Cuban de-facto government officials as calling ties with the Vatican “excellent” some ten years after a visit by the late Pope John Paul II. The statement comes less than two weeks ahead of a scheduled visit to the island by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and should function as a reminder of the fact that the Catholic Church has not always veered towards the path of justice and freedom when it comes to sticky politics. Cuba being an overwhelmingly Catholic nation, I feel it important to come to terms with the shortcomings of the church regarding political morality. Many of you may not agree with my criticisms, and for that reason, I welcome your opinions and responses. That said, those of us who categorize ourselves as Catholics must face the historical facts regarding complicity by the Vatican hierarchy with tyrannical regimes over the past several decades.
In this post I find it inappropriate to focus on the shortcomings of Pope Pius XII when faced with the virulent anti-Semitism of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Most anyone with any knowledge of the conflict is at least somewhat familiar with Pius’ tacit acceptance of the Nazi regime and his refusal to overtly denounce its atrocities against Europe’s Jews. Before moving on however, I feel it necessary to point out that it was Pius who hid groups of Jews in the Vatican itself during the war. Jewish theologian Pinchas Lapide has even attributed the late Pontiff with saving the lives of more than half-a-million Jews. There are two sides to every coin.
Fast forward to 2007. Former Argentine Chaplin Christian von Wernich received a life sentence for crimes against humanity committed during the nation’s bloody military junta (1976-1983). The first Catholic priest to be charged in relation to the junta, Wernich had collaborated with government agents to cover up the murder, torture and illegal imprisonment of political opposition members. As shocking as this revelation may have been to some, it comes as no surprise. Again, this certainly wasn’t the first time Catholic clergy members cozied up to a dictatorial regime the likes of Fidel Castro's.
Shortly after the “comandante” fell ill in August 2006, word came that the Catholic Church in Cuba had asked congregants to pray for the ailing dictator’s health. I certainly don’t expect priests to pray for the death of Fidel. In fact, I myself refuse to pray for anyone – including Fidel’s – death however, from a moral standpoint, the church should have stayed mum on the subject. Wishes of good health for Fidel, himself an excommunicated Catholic, were tantamount to a treason against morality. If God’s choice was to end Fidel’s life, so-be-it. The sooner the better. The suffering of nearly 12-million people needs to end. What better way to do it than at the hands of God.
But alas, the Catholic church is waffling, and this waffling (with regards to Cuba) began during John Paul’s 1998 trip to the island, when Karol Wojtyla, himself an ardent crusader against the evils of communism, declared that he was sure Ernesto “Che” Guevara “wanted to serve the poor.”
My friends, the only thing Che Guevara wanted to serve was his own ego (and wallet for that matter). Punto.
Even souls as seemingly noble as Mother Theresa are not guiltless with regards to the support of brutal dictators. During a visit to Haiti during the ruthless Duvalier regime, Mother Theresa praised Madame Duvalier, remarking “Madame President, the country vibrates with your life work.” Was the acclaimed champion of the poor and downtrodden referring to the Duvalier family’s overt theft from state coffers or the vibrating bodies of thousands of innocent Haitians ruthlessly murdered by Duvalier death squads.
Why am I so outraged? Because for a few decades now, I have called the Catholic Church my church. Because as a Cuban, most, though not all, of my fellow countrymen associate themselves with this church. The Vatican owes us all some answers and I expect Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone to issue a strong condemnation of the continuing human rights abuses being perpetrated against our brothers and sisters on the Pearl of the Antilles. Anything less is nothing less than complicity.
Punto.
Posted by at February 13, 2008 03:36 PM
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Comments
BRAVO!!!!!!
Posted by: pototo ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.babalublog.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 13, 2008 04:13 PM
Thanks, pototo.
-AB
Posted by: CubaWatch at February 13, 2008 04:22 PM
The Vatican owes us all some answers and I expect Secretary of State Cardinal Bertone to issue a strong condemnation of the continuing human rights abuses being perpetrated against our brothers and sisters on the Pearl of the Antilles.
You are kidding right? It has been 49 years and they only take time to condemn the US embargo! Please don't hold your breath waiting for such a statement from the leaders of the Catholic Church!!!
Posted by: Jose Aguirre at February 13, 2008 04:48 PM
My point is, if they are unable to issue such a statement during Bertone's visit, than the Cuban community should condemn the Vatican government as a criminal organization whose actions are against biblical doctrine.
-AB
Posted by: CubaWatch at February 13, 2008 04:53 PM
I'd also say that in the 60's, the Vatican actually did make its opinions against the regime quite clear - especially when it chose to excommunicate fifo. It has the ability.
Posted by: CubaWatch at February 13, 2008 04:53 PM
Amen brother! I, too, am a practicing and pretty devout Catholic that can barely tolerate the Church's daliance with socialism. For many decades now the Catholic Church has equated the teachings of Jesus with some sort of economic socialism as a social policy. I don't understand this, especially in light of history and its reflection of the failure of the socialist model to provide economic benefit for the masses.
We can only pray that the Holy Spirit enlightens the Vatican's collective eyes on the error of their ways. Just like JPII apologized to the Jews, I hope to live to see the day when another Pope apologizes to all of humanity for their embrace of socialism as a teaching of Jesus. Throw in another apology for their interpretations of human sexuality! :)
Peace!
Posted by: Mic O'Jones at February 13, 2008 04:58 PM
The truth is that as a Cuban exile and former Catholic I too was always bothered by the Catholic Churchs looking the other way. Remember the Jesuits are very responsible for him even being alive today when they appealed to Batista. Do you realize had it not been for them most of us would be in Cuba today sipping a cafecito?
Anyways whether Catholic or not this post is something that needed to be said. The Catholic Church needs to speak out. But I do not expect it to. Their feet need to be held to the fire.
Posted by: pototo at February 13, 2008 07:05 PM
There's an ancient maxim to the effect that Caesar's wife must be above even the suspicion of impropriety, even if no actual impropriety has been committed. Obviously, the Catholic Church (the symbolic bride of Christ), both in Cuba and in Rome, has repeatedly and even blatantly failed to observe that principle. As a result, regardless of its intentions, it has caused great offense and, even more seriously, spiritual anguish in the Cuban people, especially Cuban Catholics. It is very difficult to deal with this state of affairs, because it looks seriously bad and it is not an isolated incident, but appears to fit a definite pattern.
Even if we make allowances for the repressive and even dangerous conditions facing the Catholic clergy in Cuba, the Vatican itself is not in that situation, meaning it is far freer to act and speak, yet its track record has been distinctly unsatisfying and uninspiring for quite a long time now. It does little good for people to mean well, or say they do, if their actions do not corroborate that and even contradict it. I'm the first to acknowledge that too many Cubans basically screwed themselves and other Cubans, so we're not talking about a people pure as the driven snow, and the clergy, all the way up to the Pope, are human beings like the rest of us, but it's impossible not to feel disappointed and, at times, betrayed.
Unfortunately, this official visit will probably be more of the same, or very similar. I expect the regime already knows exactly what to expect, and that the visit was contingent upon there being no "inconvenient" gestures or statements from Cardinal Bertone or anyone else. It is virtually certain that the embargo will once again be condemned and that the supposed achievements of the "revolution" will be praised some way or other by Bertone. At most, only vague and non-confrontational generic exhortations will be made, and the regime will have another card to play in its eternal PR game of smoke and mirrors. Not exactly cause for encouragement.
Posted by: asombra at February 14, 2008 09:17 AM
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