When
company is expected, most people tidy up around the house—they vacuum,
straighten the books on the shelf, replace burned out lights, maybe even clean
the bathroom. God forbid someone should come and actually see how we live every
day. After they arrive, we throw a steak on the barbeque, lock the dog in the
backyard so he doesn’t jump on the guest, and take out our best china and
stemware. Hopefully, the guest enjoys himself, and if there are any
imperfections in our hospitality and not everything is as perfect as June
Cleaver might like in the faultless world of TV sitcoms, the guest is nice
enough not to say anything. If the guest is really special, he might climb the
stairs and visit with grandpa, who is too infirm to come to the living room.
What
does a country do when a visitor is expected and that visitor is the Pope? This
past week we got to see how it works in Cuba. The dissidents and the followers
of Santería, all of whom were anxious to spend some time with the Pope, were,
like the dog, kept out of sight and in the backyard. The large Havana public
square, La Plaza de la Revolución was draped with bunting, blocking out the
large sign that reads “motherland or death.” Papal flags were everywhere,
together with Papal drinking water bottles. Although only ten percent of the
population regards itself as Catholic after more than thirty years as an
officially atheistic state that ended in the 90s, hundreds of thousand came to
the square to watch the Pope celebrate mass. Afterwards, instead of going
upstairs to visit grandpa, he drove over to Miramar to chat with Fidel. Oh to
be a fly on that wall!
The
papal visit has confused many Cubans. Although some have been enjoying the
freedom to go to church that was granted in the aftermath of the first papal
visit of Pope John Paul II, and others were forced to attend for fear of being
docked a day’s work, the vast majority of the population does not attend church
services. Due to the poor state of the economy, the national leadership has
been encouraging the workers to work harder and sacrifice for the national
good. Now, not only were they given a day off from work with full pay to go
hear the Pope speak, but they also have to understand how it is that the
government leadership has now made Good Friday a paid national holiday, in
response to the Pope’s request to Raul Castro.
None
of the dissidents spoke to the Pope, and aside from an admonishment he made
before he arrived in Cuba that Marxism is a failed policy, the Pope refrained
from criticizing anyone in the Cleaver household. He did mention the next door
neighbor disapprovingly, however, when he asked the U.S. to end the Cuban
embargo. The pope behaved himself, and he’ll probably be welcomed back some
day. I wonder what holy day will become a holiday at that time.
Cuban
twitter messages are invading the Internet with the identity of the Cuban who
dared to yell “down with Communism,” before the Pope’s mass in Plaza Antonio
Maceo in Santiago de Cuba. His name is Andrés Carrión Álvarez, and his
whereabouts are unknown. A petition for his release is being sent around the
world. This is this man’s story of bravery:
On March
26, 2012 a Cuban man was violently beaten and arrested during the mass held by
Pope Benedict the XVI during his visit to CUBA. Cuban government thugs dressed
in RED CROSS logo uniforms beat him with a stretcher over the head. He was
dragged away for shouting "down with communism" and "Cubans are
not FREE!"
As of
today his physical address is totally unknown. We ask the help of all international
and human rights organizations in protecting this protestor. He is at risk of losing
his life in a Cuban prison. Furthermore, his disappearance will be used by the
Cuban government as an example to demonstrate what happens if one violates the
government control of speech. A fearful and silent population allows the
government to sustain itself.
You can
sign the petition by visiting: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/410/918/907/-salvemos-a-un-cubano-valiente-save-a-cuban-brave-/
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