A number of Catholic churches in Cuba were occupied yesterday by Cuban
citizens who apparently demanded that Pope Benedict see them when he visits
Cuba later this month.
The Catholic church strongly rejected their tactic and demanded that
they leave church premises.
A
statement from the Archdiocese of Havana said that a group of persons “who identify
themselves as dissidents” in one Havana church (the BasÃlica Menor de
Nuestra Señora de la Caridad) had a
message for the Pope and a “series of social demands;” they “refused to leave
the church,” the church was closed, and they remained inside, “frequently”
placing and receiving calls on their cell phones. Church authorities told the group that the
message would be delivered, but they declined to leave. The statement also noted that the church
communicated with Cuban government authorities, “who agreed to take no action
at all” against the protesters; that similar protests occurred in other
churches across Cuba but those involved departed the premises; and that as part
of a “prepared and coordinated strategy,” some dissidents and others were
encouraged to occupy churches but “declined to do so because they considered it
to be ‘an attitude of disrespect to the church.’”
The statement, signed by Archdiocese spokesman Orlando Marquez, said
these acts were “illegitimate and irresponsible,” and argued that “no one has
the right to convert places of worship into political trenches.”
On its website, the
Partido Republicano de Cuba says its work includes supporting the internal dissidents, supporting
the U.S. embargo, and strengthening Radio and TV Marti. It also prints a
statement from its members who were in the Havana church, naming the
protesters and listing some of their cell phone numbers, and it posts a
recording of the statement made from that church. It says churches were “occupied” by its
members in Las Tunas, Holguin, and Pinar del Rio. The statement calls for formation of a
provisional government “with the objective of creating a legal framework for
the functioning of the rule of law
.”
It asks the public to enter a “national strike and to go into the
streets to demand their rights.” This
Miami
website notes the events in Holguin, and the local bishop’s rejection of
the protest inside a church there.
The Partido Republicano de Cuba has a
Miami office and
appears to be led by Magdelivia Hidalgo.
Miami blogger Emilio Ichikawa
reports that dissident Jorge Luis GarcÃa Pérez Antúnez, in an
appearance on Radio Mambi, called the Partido
Republicano de Cuba “a creature that nobody knows.” He paraphrased Antunez saying that the
organization was made “by people outside of the island and has been absent”
from opposition activities in Cuba.
Ichikawa reports further that one of the Havana protesters was on Radio
Mambi this morning complaining that the church is not feeding them and is
thereby forcing them into an “involuntary hunger strike,” but nonetheless they
are “prepared to carry on toward the ultimate consequences.” We’ll see about that.
Radio Marti’s story includes
audio from Martha Beatriz Roque, who expresses her “disagreement with using
the Catholic church in any way for political purposes.” Yoani Sanchez
calls
the protests “invasive and disrespectful.”
AP
reports today that the group in the Havana church is no longer demanding to
see the Pope, but rather that he act as mediator and take up their demands with
the Cuban government.
I have no idea if this Cuban “occupy” movement and its day of protests
was hatched in Miami or by activists in Cuba.
But my bet is that opponents of the Cuban government will continue to
distance themselves from it. The protesters
have every right to request of the Vatican whatever they wish. But the Pope, Cuba’s church, and Cuba’s Catholic
laity are also entitled to celebrate a pastoral visit as they wish. The protests accentuate the image of a
movement focused more on actors outside Cuba than within, and they do the cause
of opposition to the Cuban government no favors.
