From our Bureau of Small But Potentially Significant Steps
When a very small gesture such as this seems like a giant step, then you know you’re dealing with an abysmal situation. In this case, that situation is the control exerted over the Cuban Catholic Church by Castro, Inc.
Meeting with the parents of a young man accused of “sedition” is something that the previous Archbishop of Havana would have never done. Worse yet, the late Cardinal Jaime Ortega might have even called these parents “criminals” and asked the police to arrest them — as he did once with dissidents who dared to seek refuge in his cathedral — and he would have done so gleefully.
This slight, but rare gesture of defiance by Cardinal García Rodríguez might not amount to much in a practical sense, for Castro, Inc. is not likely to free this mentally-disabled prisoner who has been charged with “sedition” and is serving a 23-year sentence for taking part in the July 11 protests.
But compared to his detestable Castrophilic predecessor — whose portrait hangs in the Archbishop’s office — the current Primate of the Cuban Catholic Church seems downright virtuous. And that, while somewhat encouraging, is really a sad commentary on the role the Catholic Church has played in the repression of the Cuban people.
Loosely translated from Diario de Cuba:
Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García Rodríguez, archbishop of Havana, received on Monday Wilber Aguilar Bravo and Elizabeth León Martínez, parents of a young man prosecuted in the Cuban capital for participating in the 11J demonstrations.
“This valuable person, who is the Cardinal and Archbishop of Havana, showed solidarity with the prisoners of 11 and 12J and other political prisoners,” Aguilar Bravo published on his Facebook profile, where he shared an image of himself and León Martínez with the hierarch of the Cuban Catholic Church.
“We let him know first-hand the suffering and pain of our people. His position was correct, on our side. At the end of the meeting he gave us his blessing and we left relieved of so much pain that the people have,” he said.
Aguilar Bravo is the father of Wilmar Luis Aguilar Rivera, a 21-year-old who suffers from an intellectual disability. He was sentenced to 23 years for the crime of sedition, although the sentence has not yet been finalized.
According to the Clinical History of Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera, to which DIARIO DE CUBA had access, the young man has been maintained from an early age with treatment of chloropromazine (100mg) 1/2 tablet, other similar medications and herbal drops. He is recorded as a patient of Child Psychiatry, with countless outpatient consultations. His medical records reveal the evolution of his disabilities. He began with mild mental retardation of multifactorial etiology, then organically based conduct disorder, culminating in “unfit for military service by severe disabilities.”
Continue reading HERE in Spanish
The Bible explicitly says to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Ortega clearly ignored that, big time.