Posted on 12/05/2012 7:03:56 AM PST by marshmallow
Havana, Cuba, Dec 4, 2012 / 12:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Local Catholics say that the reinstatement of Christmas as a national holiday in 1997 after decades of being outlawed has brought enormous good “to the life of the nation,” but that its deeper meaning still needs to be understood.
“Once again Christmas proves to be a source of happiness: however, we cannot forget that this beneficial aspect of Christmas has its roots and its nature in the religious event of the birth of Jesus Christ,” wrote editors from the Diocese of Pinar del Rio's magazine titled Vitral.
“The more Christmas in Cuba is imbued with its roots and its Christian religious nature, as it was in the past, the more good it will bring to the Cuban people.”
Since its beginning as a nation, Catholic liturgical celebrations were the primary source of unity for the people and were highly important for the new nation, the editors said.
But although “Christmas united Cubans,” the Communist government banned public celebrations of the holiday in 1969.
“Christmas was still celebrated in Catholic and Protestant churches and in Christian homes, but public celebrations disappeared.”
However, during his pastoral visit to Cuba in 1997, Pope Blessed John Paul II asked Cuban president Fidel Castro to reinstate Christmas as a holiday, and it was granted. One year later it was made an official law.
“The people welcomed this decision with joy,” the editors wrote, but since 29 years had passed since the last public celebration of Christmas in 1968, there was now an entire generation of Cubans who had no experience of it.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
So even though a Communist dictatorship mandated no celebration of Christmas, Christianity and Catholicism persevered through 3 decades. That bodes well for America, but I think the form of communism being pushed by our media and our government is particularly insidious.
Ummm, no, it didn’t persevere - I speak from first hand experience. What persevered was the syncrenetic practice of Santeria, and the celebration of the day of the three kings on January 6th. Cubans with any ambitions for higher education and employment did not baptize their children; Cubans born after 1959 did not know what Easter was.
The only truly religious people were a few Protestant sects - I am grieved to say that the Catholic church failed in every way to provide spiritual leadership of any kind. The archbishop of Havana is a notorious homosexual and collaborator with the regime, and the church was turned into a male brothel.
Castro in a red suit? HO, HO, HO or HA, HA, HA?
Point taken. My apologies for being misinformed.
I was once corresponding with Radio Havana. They sent me the equivalent of a Christmas card in July to celebrate their big national holiday on July 26, which commemorates an attack led by Fidel Castro on a military base in 1953.
Unfortunately, the historical record of the Roman Catholic Church’s relationships with dictators and despots is not inspiring.
The Polish church that stood against Communism is an exception to the rule of “go along to get along” that is the usual pattern. In Latin America and in the USA, many priests and parishioners feel free to espouse Leftist ideals.The Leftist Democrat Catholics in our government are prime examples.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.