Oración para la visita del Papa Francisco a Cuba

Oh, Dios, Padre bueno y rico en misericordia:

por intercesión de la Virgen de la Caridad,
Madre de tu Hijo y Madre nuestra,
dirige tu mirada amorosa
y derrama tu gracia
sobre tu siervo el Papa Francisco,
a quien has hecho
Pastor de la Iglesia Universal.

Concédele que su palabra y testimonio de amor
lleguen al corazón del pueblo cubano,
que él viene a visitar
como Misionero de la misericordia.

Te lo pedimos a Ti,
que vives y reinas con Jesucristo, tu Hijo,
en la unidad del Espíritu Santo,
por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.


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(Ver Novena a la Virgen de la Caridad en el website de la COCC)

(Cuba) Iglesia y "gobierno" presentan websites dedicados a la visita de Francisco

Website de la COCC

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Website del Minrex

(Cuba) Francisco se desplazará en tres "papamóviles" fabricados en la Isla

(El Universal) Francisco será el tercer papa que recibe Cuba, después del histórico viaje que realizó Juan Pablo II en enero de 1998 y la posterior visita de Benedicto XVI, en 2012.

Se trata de un acontecimiento que para Juan de Dios Hernández "es un privilegio como latinoamericanos y como cubanos".

Además considera que esta visita tiene lugar en un momento en el que "cada vez más el Estado cubano entiende el papel de la Iglesia" católica y los diálogos entre ambos son "constructivos".

Aunque considera que Iglesia y Estado han avanzado en sus relaciones, cree que "se puede avanzar más".

Para ilustrar esos avances menciona el hecho de que el gobierno cubano haya permitido construir nuevos templos y haya ido devolviendo a la Iglesia Católica de una manera "gradual" algunos que le había expropiado en los primeros años tras el triunfo de la revolución de 1959, cuando se tensaron las relaciones Iglesia-Estado.

También indicó que se está permitiendo a religiosas que den asistencia a enfermos en hospitales y comienzan a abrirse espacios para que la Iglesia atienda a personas de la tercera edad cuando Cuba se enfrenta al reto de un progresivo envejecimiento poblacional.

Pero advirtió que están pendientes otros aspectos como la participación de la Iglesia en el área educativa del país o su presencia más "sistemática" en los medios de comunicación.

Sobre los preparativos en marcha para la visita del papa Francisco, Hernández adelantó que se espera que asistan invitados como los cardenales de Boston, Sean O'Malley, de Nicaragua, Leopoldo Brenes, y Panamá, José Luis Lacunza.

Además son esperados en Cuba los arzobispos de Miami, Thomas Wenski, y de Puerto Rico, Roberto González, junto a obispos, religiosos y peregrinos latinoamericanos y de Estados Unidos.

Entre las actividades del pontífice en la isla, resaltó la reunión que mantendrá con el presidente Raúl Castro, las misas que oficiará en las ciudades de La Habana, Holguín y Santiago de Cuba, donde se desplazará en tres "papamóviles" fabricados en la isla, así como sus encuentros con familias, jóvenes y enfermos. (Leer texto completo)

Jaime y John se reunieron en La Habana

La Habana, 14 ago (AIN) Estamos empezando un camino que es prometedor, declaró el Cardenal Jaime Ortega Alamino, máxima figura de la iglesia católica en Cuba al finalizar la ceremonia de reapertura de la embajada de Estados Unidos en esta capital.

Al referirse al momento que vive la relación bilateral entre los países vecinos, dijo que es histórico lo vivido hoy en La Habana y en Washington hace unos días con el restablecimiento de las relaciones diplomáticas y la reapertura de las legaciones.

El prelado subrayó que fue muy bueno el encuentro privado que sostuviera momentos antes con el secretario de Estado John Kerry.

Ante una pregunta de la AIN, el Cardenal afirmó que el proceso de acercamiento entre los gobiernos estadounidense y cubano será irreversible en la medida en que se avance más en la relación durante el tiempo que resta del mandato del presidente Barack Obama.

Al ser interrogado sobre cómo puede seguir colaborando la iglesia en el proceso entre los dos países, apuntó que lo más importante en ese sentido es la visita del Papa Francisco a ambas naciones a finales de septiembre.

Ortega Alamino destacó el rol del Obispo de Roma en las conversaciones que personalmente, dijo, el Papa llevó desde el principio y de forma discreta.

El Sumo Pontífice ha favorecido los diálogos con su acción respecto a cada uno de los protagonistas de esta relación, que son los presidentes Obama y Raúl Castro, pilares fundamentales y que han podido encontrarse y comunicarse.

Antes de despedirse la pregunta obligada: ¿cómo marchan los preparativos para la visita del Papa a Cuba?, a lo que respondió sonriente que “van muy bien”.

“Hay muy buenos deseos y preparación. Los feligreses están muy contentos, es el tercer Papa que nos visita”, señaló.

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Conferencia de prensa conjunta de Bruno Rodríguez y de John Kerry,

Versión en español

English version

(Miami) Vigilia Mambisa y Versailles todavía atraen la prensa

Fotos/Blog Gaspar, El Lugareño

John Kerry: "Cuba’s future is for Cubans to shape"

For more than half a century, U.S.-Cuban relations have been suspended in the amber of Cold War politics. In the interim, a whole generation of Americans and Cubans have grown up and grown old. The United States has had ten new presidents. In a united Germany, the Berlin Wall is a fading memory. Freed from Soviet shackles, Central Europe is again home to thriving democracies.

And last week, I was in Hanoi to mark the 20th anniversary of normalization of relations between the United States and Vietnam. Think about that. A long and terrible war that inflicted indelible scars on body and mind, followed by two decades of mutual healing, followed by another two decades of diplomatic and commercial engagement. In this period, Vietnam evolved from a country torn apart by violence into a dynamic society with one of the world’s fastest growing economies. And all that time, through reconciliation, through normalization, Cuban-American relations remained locked in the past.

Meanwhile, new technologies enabled people everywhere to benefit from shared projects across vast stretches of ocean and land. My friends, it doesn’t take a GPS to realize that the road of mutual isolation and estrangement that the United States and Cuba were traveling was not the right one and that the time has come for us to move in a more promising direction.

In the United States, that means recognizing that U.S. policy is not the anvil on which Cuba’s future will be forged. Decades of good intentions aside, the policies of the past have not led to a democratic transition in Cuba. It would be equally unrealistic to expect normalizing relations to have, in a short term, a transformational impact. After all, Cuba’s future is for Cubans to shape. Responsibility for the nature and quality of governance and accountability rests, as it should, not with any outside entity; but solely within the citizens of this country.

But the leaders in Havana – and the Cuban people – should also know that the United States will always remain a champion of democratic principles and reforms. Like many other governments in and outside this hemisphere, we will continue to urge the Cuban Government to fulfill its obligations under the UN and inter-American human rights covenants – obligations shared by the United States and every other country in the Americas.

And indeed, we remain convinced the people of Cuba would be best served by genuine democracy, where people are free to choose their leaders, express their ideas, practice their faith; where the commitment to economic and social justice is realized more fully; where institutions are answerable to those they serve; and where civil society is independent and allowed to flourish.

Let me be clear: The establishment of normal diplomatic relations is not something that one government does as a favor to another; it is something that two countries do together when the citizens of both will benefit. And in this case, the reopening of our embassies is important on two levels: People-to-people and government-to-government.(Read full text of John Kerry: Remarks at Flag raising ceremony)

Regresó la otra bandera al malecón de La Habana

Card. Ortega sirvió de mensajero entre Francisco, Raúl y Obama

Over the summer [2014], the pope wrote forceful, confidential letters to Obama and Raúl Castro, imploring the two leaders "to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations." To safeguard his communications, the pope sent both letters via papal courier to Havana—with instructions to Cardinal Ortega to personally deliver the message into the president's hands. Ortega then sent his top aide to Washington to advance his clandestine diplomatic mission. But arranging a secret face-to-face meeting with the president of the United States was easier said than done. Alerted to the problem, Cardinal McCarrick conferred with White House officials, who enlisted his help as a secret back-channel go-between. In early August, McCarrick traveled to Cuba carrying a note from Obama that asked Ortega to entrust McCarrick with delivering the pope's letter to the White House. But Ortega's papal instructions were to deliver the message himself. McCarrick left Cuba empty-handed.

Back in Washington, McCarrick worked with McDonough to arrange a secret meeting for Ortega with the president. On the morning of August 18, Ortega gave a talk at Georgetown University—providing a cover story for his presence in Washington—and then quietly went to the White House. (To make sure the meeting did not leak, US officials kept Ortega's name off the White House visitor logs.) Meeting with the president on the patio adjacent to the Rose Garden, Ortega finally completed his mission of delivering the pope's sensitive communication, in which he offered to "help in any way."

It was a convoluted process, but an unprecedented gesture. "We haven't received communications like this from the pope that I'm aware of other than this instance," a senior US official recalls. "And that gave, I think, greater impetus and momentum for us to move forward." (read full text Inside the Crazy Backchannel Negotiations That Revolutionized Our Relationship With Cuba)

(Cuba-USA) John Kerry: "There are many, many things where we think we can find the capacity to cooperate"

QUESTION: Do you sense any give at all on human rights, on free elections, on freedom of speech?

SECRETARY KERRY: There’s been a little bit of give, obviously, with respect to some agreement on human rights. And I think that over time the elections discussion and the more pointed human rights issues are going to be very much part of the discussion. They are in every country where we have an embassy and an ambassador. We are fearless in our determination to walk in and talk to the authorities and give them a shared our sense of the problems that exist.

QUESTION: The critics in Congress say they are going to deny the new embassy in Havana money, appropriations, and also, of course, not confirm an ambassador. Does that matter?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, it always matters when Congress is sort of stepping in the way of something being able to really be fully effected, sure. But it’s really – why are they going to do that? Are they going to do that because the policy has been so successful? Are they going to do that because they can show so much change that’s taken place in the last 60 years that this is a crazy path? I mean, it just doesn’t make sense to prevent our diplomats from carrying the very message you and I were just talking about. To not be able to meet with more people in Cuba to know what is going on is a huge cutoff of opportunity. So I just think it’s cutting off your nose to spite your face and it’s a shame.

QUESTION: What do you want to see from Cuban now, from the government there? What steps do you want to see?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I think we all want to see, first of all, a true, deep engagement, a willingness to work through these issues. There’s so much that we can cooperate on right now. We want to cooperate on law enforcement. There are a lot of issues of concern. We want to cooperate on the environment. We want to cooperate on our visas. We want to cooperate on health, education, the rights of people. We want to cooperate on hemispheric issues and interests like the war in Colombia or the relationship with Venezuela. I mean, there are many, many things where we think we can find the capacity to cooperate, and there are obviously places where we are going to agree to disagree. That is true in lots of countries – in China and Russia and various countries where we have relationships to this day – but we don’t stop those relationships, we don’t pull our ambassador out except in the most egregious circumstances, because we know there’s a value to having an ambassador there. And that’s why we think this is a major step forward.

QUESTION: What was the sense as you met with the Cuban foreign minister? The first time since 1958, the Cuban foreign minister was here in this building. The flag went up at 4 o’clock this morning. Did you have a sense of history? Did he?

SECRETARY KERRY: Absolutely, we both had a sense of history, and we shared it and we both understand this is an historic moment. I would be the first secretary of state to visit Cuba, I think, since 1945 or something. I mean, it’s an extraordinary period of time. So this has been too long in the happening, Andrea, and I think we both understand the importance of it to our countries and to the region. (Read full interview with Andrea Mitchell of NBC News at U.S. Department of State's website)

John Kerry: "... it’s an historic day; a day for removing barriers"

Press Availability With Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez

Press Availability

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Ben Franklin Room

Washington, DC

July 20, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. I am very, very pleased this afternoon to welcome to the State Department my colleague, Bruno Rodriguez, the foreign minister of Cuba. And I apologize for our being a little bit late, but we were downstairs – we had a lot to talk about, not just about U.S.-Cuba relations but also about the region – and think we had a very constructive conversation. This is the first visit to the Department of State by a Cuban foreign minister since 1958, and today marks as well the resumption of normal diplomatic ties between our countries and the re-opening of our embassies after a rupture that has lasted 54 years.

So it’s an historic day; a day for removing barriers.

(In Spanish) The United States welcomes this new beginning in its relationship with the people and the Government of Cuba. We are determined to live as good neighbors on the basis of mutual respect, and we want all of our citizens – in the U.S. and in Cuba – to look into the future with hope. Therefore we celebrate this day on July the 20th because today we begin to repair what was damaged and to open what has been closed for many years.

This milestone does not signify an end to differences that still separate our governments, but it does reflect the reality that the Cold War ended long ago, and that the interests of both countries are better served by engagement than by estrangement, and that we have begun a process of full normalization that is sure to take time but will also benefit people in both Cuba and the United States.

This shared resolve to look ahead is what drove our conversation today and what has brought us to this moment. The foreign minister and I touched on a wide range of issues of mutual concern including cooperation on law enforcement, counternarcotics, telecommunications, the internet, environmental issues, human rights, including trafficking in persons. And of course, we also discussed the opening of our embassies. (Read full text at U.S. Department of State's website)

Bob Menendez: ""With the opening of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, the Obama administration continues to validate the Castro regime’s brutal behavior"

Monday, July 20, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C- U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) issued the following statement in reaction to today’s opening of a Cuban embassy in Washington D.C.

“While the attention may be focused today on empty ribbon-cutting ceremonies, I remain deeply concerned with ongoing human rights violations in Cuba. There have been over 2,800 political arrests on the island this year alone, and there is no sign the Castro regime is willing to begin respecting the Cuban people’s right to freedom of expression, independent journalism, or access to information.

“Diplomatic relations with the U.S. are a privilege and must be earned, yet the Cuban government refuses to make any substantial changes to uphold democratic principles and human rights since the December 17th announcement.

"With the opening of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, the Obama administration continues to validate the Castro regime’s brutal behavior, doubling down on a one-sided deal that wasn’t able to guarantee full staffing and freedom of movement for all diplomats required for a fully functioning embassy in Havana. There may be a flag raising over the embassy of a dictatorship, but the real goal is a flag raising where the Cuban people are free, have their human rights respected and where we do not accept dictatorial conditions on our embassy and its people.”

Mario Diaz-Balart: "“A Cuban embassy in Washington will not represent the Cuban people. The Cuban people have not chosen the Castros as their leaders"

Jul 20, 2015

Press Release

WASHINGTON— Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s decision to extend diplomatic recognition to the Castro regime.

“Today, we see the completion of another step in President Obama’s failed policy of appeasing brutal dictators that threaten U.S. interests. In Cuba and elsewhere, the administration has removed human rights and America's security from the President's foreign policy agenda. Since the President's December 17, 2014 announcement, there have been well over 2,500 political arrests in Cuba. For the past fourteen consecutive Sundays, at least seventy activists have been arrested, including the courageous Ladies in White who protest on their way to mass. Instead of tightening sanctions against the Castro regime in response to continued human rights abuses and arrests, President Obama has ceded important leverage.

“A Cuban embassy in Washington will not represent the Cuban people. The Cuban people have not chosen the Castros as their leaders. A Cuban embassy will represent the Cuban military and intelligence services that perpetuate human rights abuses against them. Purportedly to help the Cuban people achieve ‘independence from Cuban authorities,’ President Obama continues to appease and channel resources to their oppressors. The Castro regime is not the Cuban people. If only we had a president that knew the difference.” (Mario Diaz-Balart's website)

Marco Rubio: "“History will remember July 20, 2015 as Obama’s Capitulation Monday"

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued the following statement in advance of Monday’s scheduled vote at the United Nations Security Council lifting international sanctions on Iran, as well as the opening of embassies in Washington and Havana as part of the Obama Administration’s re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba:

“History will remember July 20, 2015 as Obama’s Capitulation Monday, the day two sworn enemies of the United States were able to out-maneuver President Obama to secure historic concessions. Monday’s events at the UN, Washington and Havana leave no doubt that we have entered the most dangerous phase of the Obama presidency in which the president is flat-out‎ abandoning America’s vital national security interests to cozy up to the world’s most reprehensible regimes.

“President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran is a dangerous and destabilizing failure, and it is telling that he is seeking Russia and China’s seal of approval of his deal before administration officials have even briefed Congress. The stakes are far too high for America’s security to be outsourced to the United Nations.

“President Obama’s concessions to the Castro regime are also deeply troubling. Cuba is not just some small island with old cars; it is a country controlled by a despotic regime that provides a safe haven and base of forward operations to Russia and China in our own hemisphere. It harbors terrorists and fugitives from justice who have killed American citizens and brutalizes peaceful pro-democracy activists. I reiterate my promise to block the confirmation of any ambassador to this despicable regime.

“July 20th will be a powerfully symbolic day for the Obama-Clinton foreign policy legacy, which will be remembered as a dark time in American history when the mullahs in Iran and the thugs in Havana celebrated at America’s expense.”(Marco Rubio's website)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: "Hoy es un día triste para la seguridad nacional de los EEUU y los derechos humanos alrededor del mundo”

Jul 20, 2015

Apertura de Embajada Cubana en Washington, DC Perjudica Nuestra Seguridad Nacional, Dice Ros-Lehtinen

(Washington, DC) – la Congresista Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Presidente del Subcomité del Medio Oriente y África del Norte, hizo la siguiente declaración tras la apertura de la embajada de Cuba en Washington, DC. Destacó Ros-Lehtinen:

“En las últimas dos semanas, el Presidente Obama le extendió un recibimiento de “alfombra roja” en la Casa Blanca al líder del partido comunista de Vietnam, negoció un acuerdo peligroso con el régimen iraní y ha tomado medidas para legitimar aún más al régimen tirano de la Habana. Los opresores del pueblo cubano no dudaran en utilizar esta ‘embajada’ como un centro de espionaje, tal cual como se ha hecho en el pasado para amenazar a nuestro país. Justo ayer, la Seguridad del Estado cubana arrestó a líderes pro-democráticos incluyendo a la líder de las Damas de Blanco, Berta Soler, ilustrando continuamente como los hermanos Castro han sido alentados por las oberturas del Presidente Obama. Mientras los activistas de derechos humanos son aprisionados y encarcelados por clamar por libertad y justicia, la Administración Obama se regocija y se hace de la vista gorda al abrirse hoy las embajadas.

“Espero trabajar con mis colegas en el Congreso para bloquear el financiamiento para la expansión de la embajada de los EEUU en Cuba y para detener la confirmación de un embajador de los EEUU a la isla. Sin importar los pasos que se tomen, es innegable que hoy es un día triste para la seguridad nacional de los EEUU y los derechos humanos alrededor del mundo.” (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's website)

(Miami) Vigilia Mambisa se manifestó en la esquina del Versailles

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La ventana del café del Versailles no estuvo disponible hoy para los manifestantes

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Fotos/Blog Gaspar, El Lugareño.

(Cuba-USA) Discurso del canciller del régimen de La Habana

Solo la eliminación del bloqueo económico, comercial y financiero que tanto daño y privaciones ocasiona a nuestro pueblo, la devolución del territorio ocupado en Guantánamo y el respeto a la soberanía de Cuba darán sentido al hecho histórico que estamos viviendo hoy.

Cada paso que se avance contará con el reconocimiento y la favorable disposición de nuestro pueblo y gobierno, y recibirá seguramente el aliento y el beneplácito de la América Latina y el Caribe y del mundo.

Ratificamos la voluntad de Cuba de avanzar hacia la normalización de las relaciones con los Estados Unidos, con ánimo constructivo, pero sin menoscabo alguno a nuestra independencia, ni injerencia en asuntos que pertenecen a la exclusiva soberanía de los cubanos.

Persistir en objetivos obsoletos e injustos y solo proponerse un mero cambio en los métodos para conseguirlos, no hará legítimos aquellos ni ayudará al interés nacional de los Estados Unidos ni al de sus ciudadanos. Sin embargo, si así ocurriera, estaríamos dispuestos a aceptar ese desafío.

Acudiremos a este proceso, como escribiera el presidente Raúl Castro en su carta del 1ro. de julio al Presidente Barack Obama, “animados por la intención recíproca de desarrollar relaciones respetuosas y de cooperación entre nuestros pueblos y gobiernos”.

Desde esta Embajada, continuaremos trabajando con empeño para fomentar las relaciones culturales, económicas, científicas, académicas y deportivas, y los vínculos amistosos entre nuestros pueblos.

Trasmitimos el respeto y reconocimiento del gobierno cubano al Presidente de los Estados Unidos por su llamado al Congreso a levantar el bloqueo y por el cambio de política que ha enunciado, en particular por la disposición que ha expresado de ejercer sus facultades ejecutivas con ese propósito.

Recordamos especialmente la decisión del Presidente Carter de abrir Secciones de Intereses respectivas en septiembre de 1977.

Me complace agradecer al gobierno de la Confederación Suiza por su representación de los intereses cubanos durante los últimos 24 años. (Leer texto completo en el website del MINREX)

(MINREX-Cuba) Infografía sobre el proceso de restablecimiento de relaciones diplomáticas entre Cuba y USA

Embajada de USA en La Habana emite su primera nota oficial

US-Cuba diplomatic ties restored (Foto/Video)