Francis and the Dynasty

Editorial: Francis and the Dynasty
DDC | Madrid | 2 Oct 2015 - 12:25 pm.

Pope Francis's first speech following his arrival Havana was, to borrow
from Jose Martí, one endorsing dialogue and convergence, and opposing
dynasties and factions. Despite this purported aspiration, the Pope
chose not to meet or speak with opponents of the regime. His visit to
and meeting with with Fidel Castro and his family were a gesture of
support for the dynasty that has been ruling Cuba for more than half a
century.

Lacking any public office and holed up in his mansion, Fidel Castro is
nothing more than the legitimator of a dynasty, yet Pope Francis
appeared to support that source. In his homily at the Basilica Menor del
Santuario de la Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre he related the Church's
evangelization work to that of the Cuban revolution, devolved into a
dictatorship, in an effort to appease it. "Our revolution is one of
tenderness," he said.

Assisted by a cardinal who denies the existence of political prisoners
in the country, the Pope did not dedicate one minute to the regime's
opponents, nor did he even mention human rights violations. Even prior
to his arrival in Cuba, his visit gave rise to arrests by State police,
about which he said nothing. When the Apostolic Nunciature finally ended
up inviting some opponents to meet with the Pontiff, and they were
detained by the government's underlings, neither did this interference
spur the Pope to protest or complain.

We are talking about, of course, words in public, which are those that
matter in these cases. In the same way that the Pope has mediated
between the governments of Cuba and the USA. for the reestablishment of
relations between them, he also bears a responsibility to intercede on
behalf of the Cuban people and its congregations in response to the
State's abuses. But Francis failed to speak out regarding these
violations, his visit to Cuba promising to serve as a pretext for even more.

If it was political caution that explains his silence, if he held his
tongue in the interest of Cuban-American relations, or in order to
augment even further the Catholic Church's influence in Cuba, one can
only imagine the magnitude of the indignities that will be considered
justified under these new relationships, and the role that the Church
will play, abetted by the educational system and the media, at the
service not of the Cuban people, but the Castro dynasty.

Source: Editorial: Francis and the Dynasty | Diario de Cuba -
http://www.diariodecuba.com/cuba/1443704386_17247.html