Pope Benedict XVI on March 27 will visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity in El Cobre, Cuba, to pray before a much-venerated image of the Virgin Mary. Chances are outstanding that it will be much easier for the pope to arrive at the church, one of Cuba's holiest places, than it is for members of Cuba's most effective group, the Damas De Blanco ("Ladies In White").
But as usual, the Damas are not giving in easily to the Castro regime's repression.
Fourteen members of the group are currently on hunger strike on the steps of the shrine to protest recent arrests of 30 other members of the group, which is made up of relatives of former and current political prisoners and other activists. As of Sunday evening, a dozen women remained in police custody, according to a report posted on Diario de Cuba.
Police had done their best to prevent the women from reaching the shrine, patroling area roads and letting it be known that the women would be better off not trying to attend Mass.
"They are angry that despite everything, they could not prevent 16 women from arriving at the sanctuary," said former prisoner of conscience Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, whose wife is one of those arrested and whose 14-year-old daughter Martha Beatriz Ferrer Cantillo is one of the protesters on the steps of the church.
The other protesters were identified as Tania Montoya Vázquez, Ana Celia Rodríguez Torres, Yarisel Figueredo Valdés, Kenia Leal Elió, Milagros Leiva Ramírez, Annis Sarrión Romero, Vivian Peña Hernández, Yasnai Ferrer Santos, Yaquelín García, Matilde Mejías Roque, Aurora Martín Calderín and Iraida Martín Calderín.
In preparation for the pope's visit, the Cuban police have been busy attacking the Damas De Blanco at and near Catholic churches across the island, beating them, sexually assaulting them, arresting them. Most in the Cuban church hierarchy have been silent in response and, so far, so has Pope Benedict.
As long as this sort of repression continues, the pope should be ashamed to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity.
And he should be ashamed to visit Cuba.
Read more about the current protest at El Cobre, and tell the pope to postpone his visit to Cuba by signing this petition.
|---|
UPDATED, 9:30 p.m. EDT -- Via Facebook, Cuban independent journalist Aini Martin Valero has persuaded the Damas to end their protest and has arranged transport for them to return home. Also, the detainees have been released.
Recent Comments