April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

Trip impressions: Life still tough in Cuba, but signs of change seen


By KATE BLAIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

As part of a recent humanitarian visit to Cuba, Barbara DiTommaso of the Albany diocesan Peace and Justice Commission met a couple of special Catholics.

The 24-member delegation from the Capital District hoped to learn more about Cuba and improve U.S.-Cuban relations, so Ms. DiTommaso (who represented Bishop Howard J. Hubbard on the trip) approached the pastor of a Havana parish where she attended Mass, hoping to speak with him.

Instead, she was introduced to "Juan" (whose name has been changed to protect his privacy), a layman active in the parish, who spoke English.

"He is a single professional, and his faith in Christ is the center of his life," Ms. DiTommaso noted.

Hard life

Juan talked about his church, which has upbeat liturgies and was planning an ecumenical pilgrimage through the streets with Methodist and Presbyterian communities from Havana. He spoke of his ministry of visiting 67 homebound people, noting that he believes he is bearing Christ to them.

However, Ms. DiTommaso said she also learned a great deal about everyday life in Cuba from Juan. "He said he simply can't afford ever to buy meat," she remembered. "He gets up at 4 a.m. every day and is on the street by 4:30 looking for transportation to get to his job by 7 a.m."

Juan owns a car, but said since he is only allowed two liters of gas per month, he can rarely drive it. Buses in Havana may be too crowded or not arrive at all, he added.

Ms. DiTommaso noted that in Cuba, "every bit of life is hard for most people."

Dialogue with bishop

Juan took Ms. DiTommaso (along with trip organizer Joseph Gomez and his wife) to see Auxiliary Bishop Salvador Cortina of Havana, who agreed to speak with them despite his busy schedule and the fact that he was recovering from the flu.

"I asked if it would help if there was no [American] embargo [against Cuba], and he said it would give them more breathing space if they didn't have the embargo," Ms. DiTommaso said.

During an hour-long conversation, the group also asked the bishop whether there is still religious persecution in Cuba. "No, not now," he answered.

However, Ms. DiTommaso told The Evangelist, "there's this subtle non-support. For instance, the bishop of Havana can speak once a year on the radio, for 15 minutes, but there's no advance notice of when that will be, and it's one of the minor radio stations."

Papal power

One bright spot for Ms. DiTommaso was the sight of the Bishop Cortina's church, which was being renovated. "I thought it was a good sign that they had the resources," she remarked.

Later, Juan told her that since the Pope's last visit to Cuba, the country has seen more public expression of its people's faith.

"In the past, there was a climate of fear to express your faith, because you might not get a job or get into higher education," she explained. "There's less of that now."

Time of change

Other changes are taking place in Cuba, as well. Ms. DiTommaso was told that fewer young people are attending college, because having an education doesn't lead to making any more money -- and by going to a university, students lose time they could have spent working.

Tourism has become an important focus for the Cuban economy, and Ms. DiTommaso applauded it. "Contact with the outside world makes things healthier," she said. "Anything that opens people up is a path to God."

Aside from the Catholics she met, the delegate visited two homes for children with developmental disabilities. She came away from the visits impressed with them, as well.

"At the first home, [the children] were severely retarded," she noted. "The director told us they're prone to respiratory infections, and `in a lot of places, they would let nature take its course; but we do everything we can to help them live as long as possible.'"

Children's plight

At the second home, which housed mildly retarded children, Ms. DiTommaso learned about parental rights in Cuba: "I was impressed. They said the parents can take [the children] any time, because they have the rights over the children." The home's directors also claimed they find a job for every child when he or she is grown.

Two of the children living at the home were there because their mothers were being "rehabilitated" from treating them badly. Ms. DiTommaso said this encouraged her, as well, because it showed a high regard for children.

In all, she said, "the people were friendly. It was obvious they had nothing against the American people."

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