Student eager for Pope in Cuba

Stacy Gonzalez knew exactly what she wanted to do when she grew up: "My goal, as a very young child, was to bring about relations between the United States and Cuba. A rather lofty goal."

Although Ms. Gonzalez, 22, a parishioner of Corpus Christi Church in Ushers, wasn't directly responsible for bringing Pope John Paul II and Fidel Castro together for the current papal visit in Cuba, she can't help but feel satisfied that these two leaders are finally meeting in the country where her father was born, where many of her relatives still live, and where she has focused much of her collegiate study and research.

She is enrolled in the doctoral program at the University of Notre Dame, where she is continuing with her thesis, "The Catholic Church in Cuba: A Good Friday Looking Forward to the Dawn of Easter." The thesis began when she was an undergraduate at Le Moyne College in Syracuse.

Heritage

In her thesis, she examines the role of the Catholic Church in Cuba since Castro's takeover in 1959, particularly the concurrent revolutions that have developed within the Cuban Church and the Castro regime. Interestingly, it was when she was working on her thesis at Le Moyne that the papal visit was announced, an event she predicted in her final project.

As a young girl, Ms. Gonzalez wanted to expand her knowledge of her Cuban heritage; her father and her paternal grandparents were born in Cuba. She learned to speak Spanish, which her grandparents sometimes spoke, and read about Marxism and communism to get a better idea of the situation in Cuba.

Ms. Gonzalez decided to major in Spanish and political science at Le Moyne; and by working on her thesis, she learned even more about the conflicts and compromises between the Church and Castro since his rise to power in 1959.

Confrontation

In her thesis, she discussed how the Cuban Church rejected the socialist values promoted by Castro's regime, which led to an ongoing confrontation between Catholics and the government.

Being Catholic in Cuba was seen as a form of rebellion against Castro, Ms. Gonzalez noted, and the Church became the primary institutional actor against socialism. Church attendance rose briefly, and the Church hierarchy spoke out against Castro, joining with many Catholic laity in supporting the Bay of Pigs invasion, the failed coup attempt against Castro in 1961.

As a result of that, the Church drew Castro's ire, resulting in the expulsion of nearly all foreign Catholic clergy and religious, the nationalization of schools, the end of open-air religious processions, and the exclusion of Catholics from government posts.

Revival

Although it remained weak and relatively silent for the next several years, the Cuban Church experienced a "second coming" by 1969, with attendance rising once again and its hierarchy embracing an ideology that fostered dialogue and communication, Ms. Gonzalez said.

That change was indicative of what was happening in the universal Church, with Vatican Council II redefining the role of the Church as an active promoter of social justice and preaching a message of tolerance and compromise.

Gradually, the Cuban government relented, and discrimination against the Church began to fade. In 1985, Castro established an Office for Religious Affairs, which handled issues and complaints regarding Cuba's churches.

Family in Cuba

Ms. Gonzalez stays in touch with her aunts, cousins and uncles living in Las Tunas, located in the eastern province of Cuba, a 12-hour car ride from Havana. Although phone lines are direct, it can take a month or so for mail to get back and forth.

She remains apprehensive about providing details on her collegiate work when she sends letters to her relatives because she can't be certain who might be reading her mail.

"They've always had their faith but could not express it," she said. "Now you see these things coming to life. It's really a testament of what is to come."

Following news

Ms. Gonzalez will follow the historic papal visit over the internet and by watching CNN, but she hopes to visit Cuba with her grandparents later this year.

Comparing the pope's visit to Poland and the eastern bloc nations that eventually led to the fall of communism to his current visit with Castro would be premature, she believes, because she doesn't foresee an end to socialism in Cuba as a result of the visit.

"I don't think that is going to happen because Cuba is a very different nation, and the Church is a very different Church in Cuba," she said.

Hopes ahead

After completing her studies, Ms. Gonzalez wants to work within immigrant and refugee communities in the United States. In the meantime, she wants her father, Robert, to be able to visit his homeland, where he hasn't been since the 1950s. Another hope is that the United States heeds the advice of the Church and lifts its embargo against Cuba.

She is cautiously optimistic that the tone of the papal visit will be religious, not political, in nature, and that the Church will move forward in its effort to coexist with Castro and his government.

"They're working toward an evolution in government policy rather than a revolution," she said. "If both institutions follow through on their promises, then I'm hopeful that these relations will continue to grow."

(01-22-98) [[In-content Ad]]