Cuban paradise and religious freedom

Apuntes de Destaque Internacional. September 01, 2015. Responsable: Javier González. E-mail: destaque2016 @ gmail.com (opiniones, pedidos de suscripción y remoción, sugerencias, etc.)

Cuban Paradise and religious freedom

On the eve of the Papal visit (19 to 22 September 2015)

The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) has opened a website about the forthcoming visit of Pope Francis to Cuba (between 19 and 22 September 2015). The Government’s intention to manipulate the papal visit in favour of the regime is very clear, as the Communist authorities had already done, with no shortage of publicity, on the visits of Pope John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. According to Minrex’s website, the special area for news reporters who shall be covering the Mass given by Pope Francis in Revolution Square has room to welcome some 400 professionals.

Among the self-praise of the “Cuban Paradise” and the “happy world” in which the Cuban people are allegedly living, Minrex makes a great song and dance saying that Articles 8 and 55 of the Cuban Constitution “recognise and respect religious freedom” (see the link below).

However, Minrex maintains absolute silence on Article 62, where there is a sudden removal of what appeared to have been granted, at least on the surface, with the warning that “none of the freedoms recognised as given to Cuban citizens can be exercised against (…) the existence and the aims of the Socialist State, nor against the decision made by the Cuban people to construct socialism and communism”. This legal document concludes with a threat: “The violation of this principle is punishable.”

The implementation of the punishments mentioned in the Constitution is partly the responsibility of the sinister Cuban Penal Code, which has historically been one of the most repressive and most Orwellian of all communist countries.

For example, based on Title XI, Articles 72 to 90, “The Dangerous State and Security Measures”, the Communist government is able to apply legal punishments even to people who show the most minor disagreement with the regime.

A detailed analysis of the aforementioned articles of the Cuban Constitution and Penal Code is present in the book “Communist Cuba: a disgrace to our times and to our continent”, in Chapter 6, “The current Cuban judicial system, an effective instrument of religious persecution on the Prison Island”. In this book, there is mention of some dramatic aspects of the prison island just before the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998, a situation of oppression by the regime and its international silence, very similar to the current situation in many aspects (please see the link below for a free download of this book’s chapter).

The texts of the Cuban Constitution and Penal Code are easy to access in Internet, and so one cannot understand the silence made by human rights institutes, the communication media, and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the whole world, including the Secretary of State of the Vatican, about the juridical aberrations included in both abovementioned texts.

Regarding the left-leaning position of the current pope Francis, including some gestures, statements and acts that are directly or indirectly favourable to the Castro dictatorship and which help to boost the movement of Latin America towards the left, the agency Destaque Internacional has highlighted several articles, including some whose links are presented at the end.

9. Important Notice: These brief and informal comments by Highlight International (Destaque Internacional) do not necessarily represent the views of all members of its editorial board. These comments are intended to draw attention to “politically incorrect” and often ignored issues which are nevertheless vital to society. Our aim is to encourage debate and remove anesthesia. We welcome suggestions, opinions & critiques. Earlier editorials can be read on www.cubdest.org

10.

Links in Spanish (only a few are in English):

Link de la Constitución cubana (ver artículos 8, 55 y 62):

http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/cuba.htm

Link del sitio web inaugurado por el régimen cubano sobre la próxima visita papal:

http://papafranciscoencuba.cubaminrex.cu

Link del PDF con auto-elogios del “paraíso cubano” y de la afirmación fraudulenta sobre la “libertad religiosa” comentada arriba (ver ítem 1.1.6. Religión):

http://papafranciscoencuba.cubaminrex.cu/sites/default/files/archivos/informacion_de_interes.pdf

Link del Código Penal cubano (ver, por ejemplo, Título XI, artículos 72 a 90, “Del Estado Peligroso y las Medidas de Seguridad”):

http://www.cepal.org/oig/doc/cub1987codigopenalley62.pdf

Link del capítulo “El actual marco jurídico cubano, eficaz instrumento de persecución religiosa en la isla-prisión”, del libro “Cuba comunista: vergüenza de nuestro tiempo y de nuestro continente – Dramáticos aspectos de la isla-cárcel del Caribe en vísperas de la visita papal” (1997):

http://www.cubdest.org/libros/visitapapalpre1997marcojuridic.pdf

Link del libro “Cuba comunista después de la visita papal” (1998):

http://www.cubdest.org/libros/visitapapal1998.pdf

Link de artículos respetuosamente críticos sobre gestos, dichos y hechos del pontífice Francisco que favorecen la izquierdización de América latina y la sustentación del régimen comunista de Cuba:

Bolivia: Francis, and the Hammer and Sickle

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1507franciscoboecen.htm

Bolivia: Francisco, la hoz y el martillo

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1507franciscoboec.htm

Francisco, consumismo, miserabilismo y Boff

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1507franciscomiser.htm

Francisco, aventura ecológica y “laguna” científica

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1507franciscoeco.htm

Francisco, los comunistas y los pobres

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1506pobresfran.htm

Armando Valladares: Francis, the nuncio and the tyrant

http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1505castroromen.htm