Francis Says Cuba is a "Symbol" -- Of What?

Pope Francis called Cuba "a symbol" in an interview. A symbol? But for what? This question was asked by John Horvat, the vice-chairman of Tradition, Family, Private Property in the USA.

On July 12, Pope Francis gave an interview to Televisa Univision's streaming service ViX. "The Pope's remarks have caused consternation among the people suffering in this communist island prison."

Francis said:

"I love the Cuban people very much. I also confess that I have a human relationship with Raúl Castro."

Raúl Castro, Fidel Castro's brother, was his successor until 2018 as head of state and government of Cuba and until 2021 as chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC).

According to John Horvat, this is like saying that the Pope "loves the inmates of this prison but gets along well with the prison director who is responsible for their suffering."

To add to the confusion, the Pope called Cuba a "symbol" and a country with "a great history." But what is Cuba "a symbol" of or for, and what "great story" does Francis mean? It could not be the brutal communist dictatorship of the past 63 years.

"The remarks come just over a year after the largest anti-government protests the country has seen in decades to demand liberation from communism. The protests were so fierce that many thought the end of the regime might be in sight. However, the communist regime brutally suppressed the peaceful demonstrations. Many protesters were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and sentenced to draconian prison terms. The Vatican and the West let this anniversary pass uncommented."

In the meantime, the misery continues, and it shows "how indifferent the West is to the suffering of Cuba."

The recent outbreak of dengue fever revealed shortages, supply shortages, poor organization, and a precarious public health situation, even though Cuba boasts of making entire medical trains available to foreign states. Patients must bring their own bedding if they need to go to the hospital.

"Many hospitals lack running water and basic supplies. There is a shortage of medicines that are readily available in any pharmacy in other countries. The lack of fuel affects the emergency services when transporting patients. The situation is exacerbated by the power outages lasting several hours per day. The authorities blame a 'power generation deficit', which means that several power plants do not work because, like most of the country's other infrastructure, they are not maintained or repaired. Chronic food shortages and civil unrest also contribute to the disaster."

Cuba, according to John Horvat, is "clearly a country in distress and in need of help." Although this precarious state of affairs has lasted for decades, Horvat said, "the communist rulers insist that the country does not need help."

"Even worse, liberation theologians and Western leftists call Cuba a model, even a paradise, for the world. They spread the myth that Cuba has one of the best health systems in the world. Meanwhile, the population is dying because of the shortcomings of the health care system."

The supposedly generous awarding of medical trains to foreign countries initially says nothing about their quality, but above all even less about the quality of the Cuban health care system. On the contrary, it rather reveals its precarious condition, because only through the loan to foreign countries do these doctors receive a regular wage. The situation is comparable to absolutist monarchies in the early modern period, which leased troops abroad in order to gain revenue for the state coffers and thus ensure the salary for the soldiers, which they themselves could hardly have paid.

"Cuba is indeed a symbol," Horvat said. "On the one hand, it symbolizes the continuation of communist tyranny, misery and brutality. Moreover, for the West, it is a painful symbol of its own indifference and hypocrisy. And those who are still resisting in Cuba are a symbol of Christian courage and perseverance that anticipates the day when they will be free to write the 'great story' that awaits them."

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.