REFLECTIONS ON CUBA

by Rufus Whitley,OMI

The InterAmerican Justice and Peace Commission met in Cuba during the early part of March. This article is a reflection on the experience of visiting Cuba and experiencing first hand, for a very limited time, the ministry of the Oblates in Cuba as well as the present state of Cuba. There are presently 5 Oblates ministering in Cuba (2 in the diocese of Spiritu Sancto, 1 in the diocese of Mantanzas, and 2 in the Archdiocese of Habana). Currently two Oblates with visas to enter Cuba are completing their studies, one in Rome and the other in Mexico, and expected to return. Several Oblates have visa requests with the Cuban government pending. (There is not much hope that any new visas will be granted. Since the visit of Pope John Paul II, the Cuban government has not granted any new visa for priests or religious to enter the country).

The first question generally asked by people in the United States is how did we get to Cuba? Many people think that it is “illegal” for Americans to enter Cuba. In some senses, this is correct. Cuba, North Korea, Libya, Iran, and Iraq retain the dubious distinction of being sanctioned by the US government through a ban on visiting. However, in the case of Cuba, one may receive “permission” to enter Cuba. This is done through a license. The Oblates in the United States received a license in October of 1999. This license is based on the services the US province provides the Oblates in Mexico and permits Oblates to visit Cuba in support of our Oblate community and in furtherance of our religious and charitable mission.

However, even though legal, it is inconvenient. The paperwork required to be submitted for each visit includes a copy of one’s passport, a letter from the Provincial Authorities indicating the visit is sanctioned under the license, a copy of the license, and indication of residence while in Cuba through a license travel agent. Once the travel agent has obtained both the permission of the US government and the Cuban government, a visa is issued and a place booked on a charter flight from Miami to Habana. (Currently the flights are offered twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays). Recently, permission was granted to initiate similar flights from New York and New Orleans respectively to Habana. Departure time is a bright and early 8:00 AM with a requirement that one be at the Miami airport at 3:00 AM to begin flight check in. The check in includes presenting copies of the license and authorization letter to the authorities. The return requires a similar process. Interestingly the Miami to Habana flight does not use the newly constructed international terminal in Habana, rather the former international terminal. This allows for greater security and control of the US based flights.

Upon entry Cuban Americans, as they are interviewed by Cuban immigration authorities, must list who they will visit in Cuba and the money they are bringing with them to give to their Cuban relatives and friends. Cubans, departing Cuba, had their bags thoroughly searched. It was not clear exactly for what the Cuban authorities were searching. In truth, one did not really need to arrive as early as the charter representatives required.

Cuba is a country of contrasts. One must acknowledge the strides the society, through its Socialist System, has made to address the basic needs of all its people. The Cuban educational system has been judged one of the most effective, surpassing the systems of many other countries in Latin America. For the most part, individuals advance through the educational system based on merit. Literacy rivals that of most “first world” countries. Cuba’s medical system has delivered a system of universal access to health care and preventive medicines that allows Cuba to lead Latin America in most significant indicators and in those indicators to rival the statistics of the United States. The following statistics are offered as a small example of that reality.

Cuba has suffered significantly since the early 1990's. With the fall of the Soviet Union the barter trade (sugar cane and other agricultural products from Cuba, bartered for many manufactured goods and petroleum from the former Soviet Union and other former Eastern Block Countries) has been curtailed, virtually eliminated, and the economy entered into a tailspin. This has led to many adjustments including the wide spread use of bicycles in the urban areas and the reintroduction of farming techniques that relied on the use of oxen. In the mid 1990's to reinitiate economic growth, the Cuban government began to allow limited foreign investment in the tourism and petrochemical industries. This resulted in significant investment in tourism by Spanish firms and petrochemicals by Canadian firms.

The tourist industry is booming. The tourist beach area of Verdadero (near Mantanzas and about 125 - 150 miles northeast of Habana) receives non stop flights from Canada, South American, and Europe. As we sat and sipped our drinks near the beach, one heard German, Dutch, Spanish, English and French. As one toured “old Habana” and the surrounding blocks, one saw tourists from throughout the world, save the United States. In a sense, it is only US citizens who do not have the opportunity to experience Cubas tourist industry. It is only US businesses who are not able to invest in and benefit from the renaissance in the tourist industry. The same may be said for all sectors in which the Cuban government permits foreign investment. One sees new Toyotas, Diahsu, Mercedes, and Hondas serving the tourist trade. One does not see Fords, GM’s, or Chryslers. One may conclude that the US embargo punishes US citizens and companies more than it currently affects the Cuban economy. The major effect is to deprive Cuba of a major export market for its goods.

As a result, the Cuban government provides a two tier national currency- the Peso Convertible and the Peso Nacional. The Peso Convertible is pegged to the US dollar on a parity basis. The Peso Convertible may be used interchangeably with US dollars in the special Dollar Stores located in most Cuban cities, villages and tourist Areas. In the tourist areas, virtually the entire economy is dollar or peso convertible driven. The Peso Nacional is used in other transactions and currently trades at 20 to the US dollar.

Cubans with access to US dollars either through transfers from abroad (through relatives) or tips or trade through the tourist industry are able to obtain most any good or service and enjoy a relatively varied life style. Those who must rely solely on the monthly ration book and / or Cuban Nacional have a more difficult time. Individuals indicated that the monthly ration allocated to each person and family lasts about 3 weeks of the month.

When one speaks with Cubans and foreign nationals legally resident in Cuba, it is obvious that there is a very high degree of control on information. There is a carefulness about speaking. A careful eye is cast to determine who is listening. There is a fear of “being reported.” There are reports of individual Cubans being detained and questioned about why they have said to others.

During part of our stay in Habana, we were hosted at a local parish. Located behind the parish is the future residence of retired priests. Located down the street is the former Marist Seminary. Individuals indicated that this former seminary, tranquil from the outside, presently serves as the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior. Inside this facility, Cubans are allegedly detained and questioned about their activities.

The Church in Cuba is restricted to preaching and not permitted to formally enter the social and political debate. Prior to the crackdown on the Church immediately after the Bay of Pigs (1961), there were approximately 800 priests in Cuba to serve 6 million Cubans. Presently there are between 200 - 250 priests serving 11 million Cubans. There was a similar decline in the number of women religious. Part of the exodus was fueled by rumors that foreign priests and religious, especially Spaniards, would suffer the same fate their brothers and sisters suffered at the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War (death). Furthermore the government has severely restricted the issuing of visas to foreign religious. The church is currently permitted to run seminaries. In fact, Ernesto, a scholastic from the Province of Mexico, is completing his studies at the seminary in Habana with the intention of requesting permission to stay in Cuba after he completes his studies, he currently lives with and ministers with the Superior of the Mission, Gilberto Pinon OMI, in the barrio of Managua located on the outskirts of Habana.

Caritas, the Catholic Social Service and Development Agency, is permitted to function in Cuba. It provides some social assistance and is presently developing cooperative projects in rural Cuba to re-establish the hog industry, dormant since the Swine Flu epidemic of the mid 1960's. It maintains a low profile, not competing with the government.

Many of the churches are in serious decay. No significant work was permitted on the churches until recently. The funding for such renovation comes from outside the country through the efforts of Catholic Bishop Conferences in Europe, Canada, and the United States.

Physically Cuban society strikes one as stuck in the 1950's. This is a result of the economic embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States. The automobiles, except for the tourist areas, date to the 50's. One is struck by the ingenuity and creativeness of the Cuban people to maintain these vintage automobiles without access to spare parts. The country side is pocketed with tractors and other farming tools that date to the same era. In the rural area, extensive use is also made of oxen to plow fields and serve as the freight engines of rural transportation.

Individual Cubans, though guarded, were friendly. They did not appear to bear any “personal animosity” toward individual Americans. Yet the embargo does appear to deprive the Cuban economy of some medicine and a major export market.

The unspoken question is what happens after Castro. No one seems to know the answer to that question. There are many schools of thought. One common thread is the question whether Castro will designate a successor or not. If Castro directs the succession process, the follow up analysis revolves around who that successor will be- one of the up and coming technocrats that is guiding the tourist and foreign investment sectors of the economy or a hardliner with roots in the revolution. If a successor is not anointed will there be a violent conflict within the party or a peaceful transition to a new set of leaders. Regardless, it does not appear the continued insistence on isolating Cuba benefits either the Cuban people or any influence on the inevitable transition to the post Castro era.

The Cuban Oblates are appreciative of the financial support that they have received from the Oblates in the United States. The visit, for me, underscored the importance that interest and contact may make for Oblates isolated from their home provinces. The Cuban Oblates represent the internationality of the congregation- 3 from Mexico, 1 from Haiti, and 1 from Argentina. They also represent the joint commitment of the Latin American Oblate Region through the Provinces of Haiti and Mexico to support, staff, and animate this new presence. The Oblates staff 3 parishes in three dioceses (Habana, Mantanzas, and Spiritu Sancto). Their hope is that the Cuban government will issue the necessary visas so that additional Oblates will be permitted to join the mission and to develop native Cuban Oblates to continue our missionary efforts, both in Cuba and throughout the rest of the world.