The Church in Cuba asks for understanding

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

MIAMI | Pray. Listen. Understand. This is what the Church in Cuba asks of its compatriots in the diaspora. 

It is what Bishop Arturo Gonzalez of Santa Clara said during a press conference held at the end of Encuentro Cuba-Diaspora 2015, an annual reunion between Cuban priests and lay persons who live in and outside of the island. 

“First off, certainly pray for us. And secondly, discover what the life of the Church in Cuba consists of,” said Bishop Gonzalez. “What is it that we have been trying to realize during these last five decades and what is it that really challenges us today.”  

Later, after celebrating the final Mass of the encounter at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, he insisted: “We must pray. But there is something more important. People must get to know the Church that lives in Cuba,” he said.

This way, “prayers are said for a more concrete face, for realities that are much closer.”

That is precisely the reason for the encounters, which have been celebrated since just before the visit of Pope St. John Paul II to Cuba in January 1998: To mutually learn, in the words of Bishop Gonzalez, “the way the faith is lived over there and also how the faith is lived over here.”

The encuentros bring groups of priests and lay leaders together, both Cubans who are exiled and Cubans who live on the island. This year, about a dozen representatives came from each group. Usually, a Cuban bishop also comes, ,and bishops of Cuban origin who work throughout the United States also participate.

Almost always the reunions take place in Miami, although they have also taken place in Key West, St. Augustine, Puerto Rico and once even in Cuba. This year’s gathering began June 15 and concluded June 20. 

“The goal is to share with the community, in general, the life of the Church in Cuba, which many times is unknown here,” said Sister Ondina Cortes, a Claretian Missionary and professor at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, who has participated in the encounters for many years. “We must create bridges of fraternity between a community that lives on both shores.”

This year, the discussions focused on family, which is the theme of the synod taking place in October in Rome, as well as the basis for the World Meeting of Families taking place in September in Philadelphia. 

Pope Francis will be present for both, and he will also be visiting Cuba a few days prior to his visit to the United States. The Archdiocese of Miami will lead pilgrimages to the closing Mass in Philadelphia, as well as the papal Mass in Havana.  

“We live in very different contexts but with very similar challenges,” said Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski during the homily at the closing Mass. 

In addition to enjoying a Marlins game and gathering with faculty and administrators at St. Thomas—a university which traces its roots to Cuba—the delegation from the island had the opportunity to celebrate Mass with exiled Cubans gathered at three different Miami parishes: St. Timothy, Sts. Peter and Paul, and Our Lady of the Lakes, whose pastor, Father Jose Alvarez, organized this year’s encounter.  

After every Mass, the exiled parishioners were invited to ask the Cuban bishop and laity about any topic. Frequently—as in the press conference—the topic of political prisoners emerged, as well as where the Cuban Church stands in terms of the communist government and its dissidents.   

At the press conference, Bishop Gonzalez said “the Church has its doors open to welcome everyone.” He added, “We continue to accompany the Cuban people…giving witness of the faith of Jesus Christ and the mercy of God the Father.”

The doors of the Church are “doors that are frequently visited by dissidents,” Bishop Gonzalez said.

The Cuban Church also maintains a constant presence in the prisons, among the prisoners and their families. “We listen. We seek to guide. We take note. We make an effort to intercede before the competent authorities, but we do not always have the solution to the problems,” Bishop Gonzalez said.

“It was very interesting all the questions that came up. A lot of the pain from being exiled for 50 years is still there,” said Msgr. Tomas Marin, pastor of St. Timothy.

Around 200 individuals participated in the Mass at his parish. Some of them recalled how Castro’s soldiers vandalized the churches at the start of the revolution.

“We could do something here to hear those stories and heal that pain because it’s something that needs healing,” said Msgr. Marin, referring to what the Church in Miami can do as the capital of the Cuban diaspora.

“That healing process needs to take place here by telling the story of what’s happening over there. I think we have a pretty active role in that,” said Msgr. Marin. “The media isn’t really telling that story. That they’re gathering in little homes, that they have communities of faith that are really deepening the faith. All the miracles that are taking place, that story isn’t being told.”