Cuban Communism Could Not Defeat the Faith

I believe one of the most striking events we Catholics have lived through this decade has been Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba. For many of us who work for our Holy Catholic Church, it has been one of the most important testimonies of evangelization. Because who would have imagined that in a country where the Catholic Faith was persecuted the way it was, we would see huge Masses, with impressive devotion and many young people?

What we saw there is due to a heroic group of Catholics who never gave up evangelizing, going through terrible times of persecution, imprisonment and even death. Father Jorge Palma, chaplain of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, described to ACI Prensa the hard years of the faith in Cuba. He said: “The first thing was to keep a priest present in every corner, even if people did not come to the chapels out of fear, and because sometimes they had been destroyed.” Let us remember that in Cuba the government expelled priests, nuns and others, and closed Catholic schools and institutions (which in fact are still banned).

“So it was a very symbolic presence, because the people who dared to come in the small villages could be counted on the fingers of one hand, no more. This was indispensable: the presence of the priest, whether people came or not.” The chaplain said that communist persecution also affected the faithful’s attendance at the Marian shrine, which “remained almost empty for years, because Cubans were very afraid of losing their jobs if they were associated with the Church.” This is so true that Yoani Sánchez wrote on Twitter that many people lost their jobs simply for having an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in their homes. Incredible!

Father Palma said that the family and devotion to Our Lady of Charity were fundamental in keeping the Catholic faith alive in Cuba. “What creates communists, just like what creates Catholics, is the family,” he said. “After the time of the rafters, people began to come in unstoppable numbers. And now, after the pilgrimage of the Virgin’s image, every barrier of fear about coming here to the shrine has been completely broken. Even atheists and members of the Army come out of curiosity (…) For us priests, the visit of the pilgrims is a challenge to lead them in some way to know the Child in the Virgin’s arms and the mystery of the Cross (…).”

On the plane that took him from Rome to Mexico, Benedict XVI told journalists that “today it is evident that Marxist ideology, in the way it was conceived, no longer corresponds to reality. New models must be found with patience and in a constructive way. We want to help.” He also said the process would require patience and great determination. It is worth rereading all the speeches Benedict XVI gave in Cuba. His homily in the Plaza de la Revolución was very direct; he used the word freedom 7 times and the word Truth 17 times. These communist regimes live in lies (as we could see from the words of welcome and farewell read by the dictator Raúl Castro). Benedict XVI knows the truth about Cuba, and about every country in Latin America, and however many lies they tell him, he will not believe them.

As the Alitalia plane was landing in Cuba, Yoani Sánchez wrote on Twitter that at school she had been taught that religion was the opium of the people, but that at that moment she was asking God for a miracle. Yoani, God has already worked the miracle: communism could not destroy the faith of a wonderful people. And we are sure it will not be long, very soon, before you in Cuba can live in full and complete freedom. Your Venezuelan brothers and sisters will offer part of the suffering we are going through so that you may have a better future very soon.

And today I shout with all my heart to the Church in Cuba: A thousand thanks! for the example of patience, fortitude and perseverance you have given the whole world, which helps us Venezuelan Catholics understand that, whatever happens, we will stay here spreading the Word of God and His Truth in every corner of our beloved Venezuela, so that one day we may live in full Justice and Peace.