HAVANA, MARCH 3, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Havana’s archbishop published a letter defending the autonomy and independence of the Church in Cuba, while inviting the faithful to abandon mediocrity and to build a viable future.
Cardinal Jaime Ortega addressed his message to Cubans on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Servant of God, Father Felix Varela, whose «thought was dedicated to Cuba, his beloved homeland, and to the future of this land to which he gave true devotion.»
In his pastoral letter, entitled «There Is No Homeland Without Virtue,» dated Feb. 25, the archbishop of Havana recalled the duty of every Cuban to think of his homeland with ethical criteria, which requires the abandonment of mediocrity and the practice of virtue.
In this connection, the cardinal made an appeal to young people asking them to be virtuous.
«Sexual permissiveness, premature relations that destroy the stages of falling in love and true love, do not prepare the foundation for stable and lasting marriages, families where life can grow in security and the joy of shared love, and without this there is no happiness,» he warned.
The archbishop also alerted the faithful about drug use, which originates to a large extent from a «lack of understanding of the meaning of life, defeatism, and a habitual weak stance before the world on the part of young people and adults.»
In face of the population’s lack of hope — the principal reason for emigration — Cardinal Ortega said: «It must not be only the pastor … who looks with mercy on the multitude, but also the political leaders.»
«It is high time to pass from the righteous state, which calls for sacrifices and the rendering of accounts, to the merciful state, prepared to extend a hand of compassion,» the Cuban cardinal said.
Regarding the Church’s mission to preach the Gospel, he wrote: «The political power must not create obstacles or impede the proclamation of the message of Christ, which the Church must also carry out by using the present means of social communication, nor must it impede the educational and charitable work of the Church, or anything that is related to the very mission God has entrusted to it.»
The cardinal’s pastoral letter referred to the systems of thought — liberal or totalitarian — that arose after the French Revolution.
These systems, he wrote, «have conditioned since then, to a greater or lesser degree, the political power in the West, having in common their persistence in trying to undermine Christian civilization when they think it is opposed to their programs.»
«To attain this objective, they begin by assuming that religious faith is a private matter,» he lamented. «This is the best way to facilitate the process of de-Christianization, as the Church is pushed outside of the public realm and one way or another its voice is silenced or not heard.»
«Cuba is one of the countries of Latin America that has suffered most this devastation,» he said.
Among the effects, are the threats to the family, beginning with divorce. «Over half of Cuban children are born outside of marriage,» the letter states.
The cardinal also mentioned the pro-abortion mentality of much of the population, to which must be added the country’s death penalty .
«Contempt for life brings with it, moreover, uncontrolled violence, which leads to killing or assaults to rob or to settle a quarrel,» he added.
Because of this, Cardinal Ortega warned that «Little by little, a culture of death might be taking shape among us that supplants the culture upheld by Christian civilization, promoter of the value of life as a sacred gift of God.»
