Ignacio Uría. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

"The first conclusion of Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba is that the Catholic Church increases its public presence and strengthens its mediating role in a hypothetical transition. If the country wants to move forward it cannot continue to be stuck in Marxism and in this step 'to tomorrow', Cubans will always count on the Church's financial aid ". This was stated by Ignacio Uría, professor at the University of Navarra and winner of the international Jovellanos de Historia award for the book Iglesia y revolución en Cuba.

He also pointed out that the three days of the trip have shown that"the dictatorship needs the Church much more than the Church needs the dictatorship. Fidel Castro's insistence on greeting the Pope and having his picture taken with him is proof of this.

On the other hand, Professor Uría recalled the words of the Holy Father in Santiago de Cuba, spiritual capital of the Island: "He insisted that the essence of Christianity is to forgive and be forgiven. There he prayed for prisoners and families and stressed that the Catholic Church is neither a party nor a power".

Lack of religious freedom

Regarding the words of Benedict XVI in Havana, he emphasized "his forcefulness against the US embargo and the lack of religious freedom, which is much more than the current freedom of worship. It needs, for example, the freedom of teaching (Catholic schools and also of other confessions, a right that the Revolution has denied for half a century) and also freedom of expression, both to demonstrate in the street and to dissent without violence".

"The Cuban regime, for its part, has demonstrated two things: its absolute control of the population and its nervousness. Especially with the order to attend the pontifical masses, but also with the hundred or so opponents arrested for trying to attend the Eucharist, many of them even invited expressly by the bishoprics", stressed the expert of the University of Navarra.

Finally, he added that Benedict XVI"does make 'politics', but the politics of Charity, which is what unites the Cuban people. A policy that calls for justice, dialogue and fundamental freedoms for 'all Cubans', including those in exile".