Pedro Meurice, R.I.P.

Cuban Bishop Pedro Meurice died July 21 in Miami, where he had come for medical treatment. Here are remembrances at Café Fuerte and by the Herald’s Myriam Marquez. From the AFP English story:

Archbishop Meurice gained worldwide attention on January 24, 1998 during the historic visit of John Paul II when, as Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, he delivered a harsh message against then-president Fidel Castro during mass. Also speaking before Raul Castro, who later succeeded his brother Fidel, Archbishop Meurice said Cubans should “demystify the false messiahs,” and described to the pope the realities of a country “torn apart by exile”, “selfishness” and a “poverty of freedom”. The incident was settled when Fidel Castro, who retired from government in 2006 due to health problems, attended a 2005 mass at the Cathedral of Havana for the death of John Paul II and said in his tribute to “not resent this archbishop.”