Conversation on sin: Top religion stories of 1998

Christian Century, Jan 6, 1999

John Paul II goes to Cuba

In the U.S. Media, the story of Pope John Paul II's historic January visit to Cuba was forced to play second fiddle to the initial news of the Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal. The encounter between John Paul and Fidel Castro was less confrontational than some pundits had predicted, and the consensus among observers was that the visit proved to be a boon to both Cuba's aging communist president and the Catholic Church's aging anticommunist pontiff, with each making use of the other to advance his own goals. In his welcoming speech Castro did sound off against everything from the Crusades and the Inquisition to the church-approved Spanish Conquest. But he also praised the Second Vatican Council--and the pope, to whom he showed almost obsequious respect. Having lost its economic benefactor, the now-collapsed Soviet Union, Cuba is in rather desperate straits these days. Allowing John Paul to visit, conduct four open-air masses and speak uncensored on state-run television was part of a shift in strategy that includes the normalization of church-state relations, along with a search for new diplomatic and trade relations.

Castro obviously sought--and at least in some quarters gained--greater legitimacy from this first-ever papal sojourn in Cuba. But he also benefited from it in other ways. In almost every speech John Paul denounced the U.S. embargo; he termed it "unjust and ethically unacceptable" and, in his farewell address, "oppressive," causing an "imposed isolation" that makes it "ever more difficult for the weakest to enjoy the bare essentials." And while he criticized communism, he criticized capitalism just as strongly, especially the neoliberal variety that "subordinates the human person to blind market forces" and ensures that the "the wealthy grow ever wealthier while the poor grow ever poorer." The pope also called on Cuban exiles to eschew "useless confrontation" and practice "a generous solidarity with their Cuban brothers."

Apart from condemning the embargo--and making a general plea for greater freedom--John Paul downplayed politics and emphasized pastoral and moral concerns. But some of the concessions won by the pope have political implications. Not long before his visit Cuba had about 1,000 political prisoners; now there are between 300 and 400, according to prominent dissident Elizardo Sanchez Santa Cruz. Sanchez can now contact international human rights groups without interference, and recently he was allowed to travel abroad. The reduced level of repression has also benefited the church. For example, a number of priests and nuns have been granted entry into the country. Also, permits are being given for the repair of old churches.

Wye accord in shambles

Middle East peace is a resolution wrapped in an accord wrapped in an agreement. And the package is coming thoroughly undone. The disintegration of the Wye agreement between Israel and the Palestine Authority was yet another disappointment in a peace process which continues to spiral downward, driven by a bitterly contested political conflict that threatens to erupt into violence at any moment. The peace process that started with such optimism at Camp David, was given new life with an agreement at Oslo and was then renewed again at Wye, appears to be going nowhere.