SPECIAL REPORT FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 17, 1998 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following article is taken from RHC's English language service for Saturday, January 17th, 1997. It offers some highlights of President Fidel Castro's televised appearance before a panel of Cuban journalists on Friday night. HAVANA, Jan 17 (RHC) -- In a televised appearance before a panel of Cuban journalists, President Fidel Castro focused on the pastoral visit that Pope John Paul II will pay to Cuba beginning Wednesday, January 21st. After making a thorough analyses of the results of the General Elections held on the on island January 11th, the Cuban leader recalled the impression the Pope left on him after his visit to the Vatican in November 1996. President Castro described the Pope as a very amicable and respectful person who listens attentively. "From what I have read of the history of this Pope, I'm convinced that he reached such a high position within the Church due to his talent, his culture, his exceptional character and his tremendous spirit" he said. He then explained the importance of the Pontiff's visit to the island, whose invitation was never motivated by an intention to seek benefits for Cuba. "First of all, the motivation of this visit was never to obtain benefits or advantages for Cuba. There was no economic or political interest on the part of the Cuban government, frankly speaking. The desire for benefits had no influence in this invitation." Answering questions from journalists from Cuban television, Radio Havana Cuba, Granma newspaper and Rebelde Radio, the Cuban leader pointed out that the Pope's visit could have taken place a long time ago when the invitation was first extended. But, he said, there were factors that did not allow the visit, including the prelude of the Special Period that the country is currently enduring. Since then, the Cuban leader said, he was closely following the work and style of the Vatican, the Pope's international tours, particularly his visits to Latin American countries and his statements regarding social and economic problems at a time when Cuba was committed to internationally denouncing the foreign debt. "We were interested in having the Pope know about these facts so that he could exert his influence on the struggle against that debt. On the other hand, relations in general with the Vatican were always good. And we remember with gratefulness one papal ambassador Monsignor Zacchi who helped a great deal to find solutions to certain difficulties that developed in our country during the early years of the Revolution. And in his nuncio's role, Monsignor Zacchi worked very hard to promote contacts and exchanges to ease tensions. He played a very important role, we had a great friendship with him, which was always cultivated, even after his retirement." said Fidel Castro. During his TV appearance, the Cuban leader recalled his ever present interest in preserving unity among the Cuban people, as a way to preserve the Revolution from any anti-religious image. Any conflict with religious sectors, he said, could have been used by imperialism as a propaganda tool against the Cuban Revolution and even against the prospects of a revolution in Latin America. As an important backdrop to the Papal visit beginning Wednesday, the Cuban leader spoke about his meeting with the Pope in Rome, and both leaders' participation in the FAO Summit. The speeches we delivered there, said President Castro, were very similar. "It can almost be asserted that the two most similar speeches pronounced during the Food Summit were those of the Pope and mine. By that time, as you may understand, there was not any socialist party or government in Europe. There was no socialist community or Soviet Union anymore. And the discussion there was concentrating on a most important issue: food security in the world." "Important things having to do with the lives of the peoples of Latin America and the Third World were not being mentioned in general. We were waging our struggle alone, solitary preachers in the United Nations and in whatever platform we could find in the world. And I say it was a solitary struggle, because it's interesting that once socialism disintegrated, the denunciation of many of these social evils began coming from the Pope." During another moment of his television appearance, President Fidel Castro expressed his opposition to the views that insist the Pope was a determining factor in the fall of socialism in Eastern Europe, and stated that John Paul II was to be regarded as a Polish nationalist who was born in a country occupied by foreign powers on several occasions. "He lived a very special experience in a very special country. Poland is a country where without any doubt many mistakes were made. Sometimes I wonder if there really existed subjective and objective conditions to build socialism in Poland. In that country, during that historic period, the Pope was born, he was raised and educated and became a priest. As a consequence of these circumstances, and as the Pope was an active, let's say, ideological fighter against Marxism_Leninism, and the Socialist community, he is consequently attributed with an important role in the disappearance of socialism in Poland, in the socialist community and even the disappearance of the USSR. This is really a fabrication. It is a mistake to attribute the Pope with the responsibility of what occurred in those countries." The Cuban President also made reference to the illusion by some who believe that the Revolution will not be able to handle the Pope's visit, and added that these illusions are held by people who don't know him. This Pope, he asserted, is one of imperialism's greatest headaches today. "I see all the illusions they are harboring in their desperation to see the Pope's visit become something unbearable for the Cuban Revolution, in seeing the visit become a sword of fire that will liquidate socialism and communism in Cuba. What they repeat the most is that the Pope will soon visit the last stronghold of communism. What an honor!!! We don't consider ourselves the last bulwark of communism, there are others. They underestimate the Pope's intelligence, spirit and thought. Because since the end of the Cold War, this Pope has become possibly one of the greatest headaches of imperialism today." Fidel Castro also noted that it's difficult to find one economic or social difficulty gripping the Third World left unattended by the Pope in his speeches on poverty, illiteracy and other issues like peace and the environment that Cuba can endorse. In this regard, he cited recent statements made by the synod of Latin American Bishops that met in Rome where all these problems were denounced. In another moment of his presentation, the Cuban leader noted that some people were worried because of the printing on the island of the Pope's message to the Cubans. However, Cuba is not worried at all by the presence of a huge amount of journalists interested in reporting on the visit. "I believe that with this visit, the image of our country can come out and be seen in many countries of the world. We perfectly know what to do and what we should do. We do hope that our compatriots will accompany us in this effort and that they trust the Revolution and the leaders of the revolution, trust the persons on whom they have placed all their confidence, which we have so hardly tried to be recipient of for almost 40 years." We know how to attend our guests, reassured the Cuban leader, who called on Cubans to show the level of education and culture that has earned the island world's respect. The Pope, he stressed, should be welcome with the consideration a Head of State and a historic personality like him deserves, he should be welcome as a leader concerned with the most pressing problems of these times. "A US President, " he then added, "with all his nuclear weapons, planes, rockets does not dare to come to this country to see what's happening here or to address the Cubans. Let' me give you an example, if President Clinton wished to come to Cuba to talk about capitalism, neoliberalism, globalization, democracy, we would have no objection, we would summon all the media, television, and radio so that he would convince us to renounce to socialism and be converted to use the IMF and World Bank formulas, the market economy." "The Pope", he commented, "dares to come here and address Cubans. There is a great difference." During his address, Fidel Castro stressed the Cuban government's commitment to facilitate the participation of all those who wish to attend the masses of the Holly Father in Cuba. "I believe that the people should participate in all of the activities, due to an elementary sense of consideration and courtesy. For those who are not believers, not having a religious motivation to be there, they should be courteous and participate. We want the squares to be overflowing with people and nobody should fear anything because history will prove we are right. The Cuban leader said Pope John Paul II's visit will demonstrate Cuba's respect for believers of all the world's religions: Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Evangelical faiths, Buddhists, Animists and those who practice syncretic cults around the world and that the visit will demonstrate how a socialist revolution, how communists are capable of respecting all those who believe and those who don't believe. Finally, President Castro announced that in those provinces where the Vatican chief will deliver open air masses on work days, workers will be provided with all the facilities to participate in the masses, that will be transmitted by the local media. On Sunday, January 25th mass in Havana's Jose Marti Revolution Square will be transmitted live by all TV channels. He said he will be there. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org