(Translated from Diario Las Américas, Miami, Jan. 17, 1999)

is in the major crossroad of their History


Your people, O Lord, they trample down,
your inheritance they afflict.
Widow and stranger they slay, the fatherless
they murder.
How long, O Lord, shall the wicked, how long
shall the wicked glory?
Rise up, judge of the earth; render their deserts
to the proud.

(Psalm 94, 5-6-3-2)

Introduction:

Throughout 1998 the freedom-loving Cubans, on the island and in exile, have witnessed an indignant pro-Castro build up, at an international level, on the diplomatic, political and financial arenas.
Already on the first days of 1999, that build up started to break in with arrogance, placing the cause of Cuba's freedom and in particular -to numerous Cuban exiles, voice of their enslaved brothers that have no voice- before the most important crossroad of its History:
Are we to cowardly close our mouths, cover our eyes and ears, put our arms and pens down, cease the anti-Communist fight, disown, from our most unblemished principles, and open our arms to the red wolf? Or on the contrary, in 1999, we will multiply our anti-Castro denunciations with double the energy; ready to face the incomprehensions, adversities and even treasons - as big as they might be - and be ready not to give up one millimeter, before the implacable scourge that destroys our Country?
The Cuban exiles that have signed this document, are living all over the world, but are united in a brotherly gesture of a true desire for the freedom of our enslaved Country, and let the following be known:

1. Throughout forty long years of disastrous communist revolution in Cuba, and one year gone by, of the historic visit of H.H. John Paul II to the prison-island, which brought about so much expectations of freedom to millions of Cubans - we were witnesses to diplomatic, political and financial initiatives of common knowledge that directly or indirectly has helped to prolong the communist regime. And these initiatives have helped to prepare the ground for an eventual post-Castro scenario , in which his followers allow the smuggling towards the XXIst. Century, of the supposedly "achievements" of Cuban socialism, though this way they will try to implement a Castroism without Castro, that would prolong even further, the agony of our beloved people.

2. A fundamental and decisive aspect to understand the present Cuban juncture and the communist stratagem of the regime's survival is the fraudulent Castroite religious politics that has as its objective, to make the world's public opinion believe, that the Cuban Catholics no longer suffer persecution, and are not being trampled upon because of their religious convictions. One of the most recent episodes of that fraudulent choreography, was a statement pronounced by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in december, pp., in which against all historical evidences, they affirmed cynically that "the Cuban revolution was never characterized by an anti-religious spirit."
This declaration of the PCC was refuted with abundant historical facts by the Comisión de Estudios por la Libertad de Cuba, in an essay entitled "Cuba comunista y los católicos: el PCC miente" (Communist Cuba and the Catholics: the PCC lies), Miami, Dec. 8, 1998, where it concluded: "The statement made by the PCC, suggests that Cuba could be a social laboratory, in which it will germinate a sui generis communist-catholic convergence, that will make a reality old dreams and utopia of liberation theologians, today apparently defeated.(...). They will try to project, from the rubbles of Marxist Cuba, a supposedly communist-christian alternative towards the XXIst Century. In this context, it is explained why the great interest demonstrated by dictator Castro of an eventual stop in the prison-island, of the plane that will take H.H. John Paul II in return to Rome, from Mexico and the United States in January 1999.

3. At the same time as Catholics, apostolic, and roman faithfuls, we proclaim our complete adherence and veneration to the Holy Father and to the Chair of Peter -in all the extension in which the Church's doctrine so demands- we can not let go our filial expression, as an imperative of our consciences, with deep pain and perplexity to the recent message of greetings, sent to the tyrant of the Caribbean, where it mentions the anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban revolution as to be "a National Holiday" of Cuba; message that was widely diffused throughout the whole world and in particular, by TV, radio and communist papers on the prison-island (cfr. "Telegrama del Santo Padre al Presidente del Conseglio di Stato e del Governo di Cuba in occasione del riconoscimento Ufficiale della Festivita" del Santo Natale e della Festa nazionale di Cuba," Vatican Information Service, Dic. 28, 1998).

4. How could we consider a "National Holiday" such a tragic date, that instead of bringing freedom to the Cuban people, it marked the beginning of a long oppression of four decades of misery to the people, of persecution and asphyxia to Catholics, of exporting revolution to Latin America and Africa, in the end, of spiritual and material genocide of a nation?

5. We deplore the attitude of those leaders of the Western World, that ever since the trip to the island by H.H. John Paul II, and interpreting in a biased way the calling made by the Holy Father, that the world opens to Cuba, they hurried to open their arms to the tyrant, at the same time closing them to the Cuban people, while the communist regime continues to prevent the opening of Cuba to the world.

6. We denounce the communist doggedness manifested Jan. 1st pp. by the dictator Castro, in a speech given in Santiago de Cuba, stating that the communist revolution "is just beginning" and insisting in the most deplorable of slogans, such as "socialism or death," "homeland or death," etc.

7. This dramatic mixture of events that we have summarized, constitute in many ways, the most serious aspect in the contemporary History of Cuba and the exile. And it places in an unavoidable crossroad, the millions of Cubans that, from inside and from the outside, are opposed to the "intrinsically wicked" communism, according to the knowledgeable expression of H.H. Pius XI, of fortunate memory:
To cease the anti-Communist doctrine, yielding to the tyranny and opening the arms to the red wolf? Or to the contrary, during 1999, re-double the anti-Castro accusations with all the strength, decided to face the incomprehensions, adversities and even treasons - even as big as they might be - ready not to give up before the implacable scourge that destroys our Country?

In Conclusion:
Our consciences of faithful Catholics and Cubans, makes us oppose any minimum form of acceptance of the disastrous Cuban revolution and also any closeness to the regime, based on the traditional teachings of the Church, which condemns communism, as it is "intrinsically wicked" and it considers "inadmissible the collaboration with it in any sphere." (H.H. Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris).
Our consciences of faithful Catholics takes us then, with faith and confidence in the Divine Providence, to retake with doubling the strength, in this year of 1999, the anti-Communist publicity crusade.
We place this firm and unbreakable purpose at the feet of the most Holy Virgin of Charity (del Cobre), Patronness of Cuba. And we ask our heavenly Mother for all the spiritual help to be able to keep these determinations with the same convictions and strength in our souls as our catholic martyrs once had moments before being executed at the "wall" by firing squads, and crying out loud "LONG LIVE CHRIST THE KING" , "DOWN WITH COMMUNISM." Because we are certain that the blood of those martyrs and of thousands of other victims of Cuban communism in our Homeland, Latin America and Africa, was not shed in vain.

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 1999, on the eve of the commemoration

of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

Sergio de Paz Dr. Enrique J. Canton
Coordinators of the Study Commission for the Freedom of Cuba
(Comisión de Estudios Por la Libertad de Cuba)

Ing.Israel Moya Ing.Dennis Albaijes
Director and subdirector of the group
NoCastro.com

Dr. Claudio Benedí Beruff, Washington, DC; Dr. Luis A. Figueroa, Miami, FL; Armando F. Valladares y Martha López de Valladares, Springfield, VA; Juan E. Pérez-Franco, Presidente, Asociación de Veteranos de Bahía de Cochinos, Brigada 2506, Miami, FL; Dr. Ariel Remos, Miami Beach, FL; Dr. Antonio Jorge, Miami, FL; Ernesto R. Botifoll, Miami, FL; Modesto Castañer, Miami, FL; Paulino Núñez, Hialeah, FL; Roberto López-Ibanez, Presidente, Asociación Cubano Guatemalteca José Joaquín Palma, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala; Ing. Gilberto E. Valdez Vidaurre, Presidente, Fundación Voluntarios por una Mejor Nación, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana; Luis Mario, Hialeah Gardens, FL; Dr. Ulises Carbó, Miami, FL; José Antonio Rivero y familia, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Dr. Xavier Suárez, Miami, FL; Nelson Calderón Martínez y Luz R. Guevara de Calderón, Informacion News Agency, Clifton, NJ; Ing. José A. Adan, Organización Autentica O/A, Miami, FL; Ing. Nelson J. Ferragut, ex-miembro Juventud Acción Católica (JAC) Cubana, Silver Spring, MD; Marta S. Ferragut, Presidente, MSF Trad., Silver Spring, MD; Félix Pagés y familia, Springfield, VA; Doris Albaijes, Hialeah, FL; Toni Ayala, Coral Gables, FL; Dr. José P. Cruz Mesa, Coral Gables, FL; Eloísa González, Miami, FL; Carmen P. Lambert, Miami Beach, FL; Ing. Javier Lecha, Laurel, MD; Ing. María Lecha, Grennbelt, MD; Pedro Martori Lezcano, Montreal, Canadá; Deniel I. Moya, San Juan de Puerto Rico, PR; José Moya, Miramar, FL; Ing. Maritza Pellon Bermúdez, San Salvador, El Salvador; David W. Morgan y Dalia Sanchez-Morgan, Boca Raton, FL; Dr. Humberto Andrés Pujals y Henrietta Dias de Pujals, Miami, FL; Máximo Tomas, Cuba MegaLinks, Kendall, FL; Miguel Uría, Organización Auténtica O/A, New Orleans, LA; Thomas Abella y familia, Short Hills, NJ; Ing. César Luis Alarcón Heredero, Corona, CA; Estanislao Alonso Chapel, Sollentuna, Suecia; Patrick B. 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Roque, Hialeah Gardens, FL; Manuel Rúa y familia, Boucherville, Quebec, Canadá; Armando Santamaría, Miami, FL; Clark Simmons, Round Rock, TX; Marisol Toraño y Prieto, Miami, FL; Jesús C. Toledo, Miami, FL; Luis Travieso, Miami, FL; Antonio G. y Luisa A. Vega, Miami, FL; Nisette María Calderón, Clifton, NJ; Prof. Francisco Condis y Troyano, Université Catholique de Mons, Bélgica; Lic. Víctor A. Valdés, Las Naciones News, Naples, FL; Ixa Valdés, Grand Central Station, NY; José A González Morales, Madrid, España; Pedro y María Fernández, Hialeah, FL; José M. Almeida y familia, Miami, FL; Gisela Peiro, Miami, FL; Lidia Calderín y familia, Miami, FL; Homero Machado, Hialeah, FL; Carmen De La Cruz,Brownsville,TX; Maggie Darder Pérez-Sordo, Miami, FL; Beatriz y Jesús J. Peña, New York, NY (siguen firmas)