Under the gaze of a giant mural of the guerrilla leader Che Guevara, Pope Francis has delivered a gospel of peace, humility and neighbourly commitment at a mass in Havana’s iconic Revolution Square.
In the plaza where Fidel Castro once thundered out lengthy denunciations of capitalism and “fascist priests”, the pontiff quietly addressed a crowd of tens of thousands, stressing the need for service to others, particularly the vulnerable.
“This caring for others out of love is not about being servile,” he said. “Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people.”
The homily came during mass on the first full day of a visit to Cuba and the United States that is partly aimed at reinforcing the reconciliation between the two nations that was partly brokered by the pope last year.
The trip, which will include visits to the US Congress, the White House and meetings with Raul Castro, Barack Obama, Ban Ki Moon, demonstrates the pope’s immense influence on the global stage, but in his address on Sunday, Francis tried to connect with those from a less elite sphere of life.
Christians, he said, should set aside their pursuit of power and look instead to those who are most vulnerable. Twice, he repeated Jesus’s words: “Whoever wishes to be the first among you must be the last of all, and the servant of all.”
It was a theme that has been central to Francis’ papacy. Since 2013, when the pope said he wanted to make the church one that was “for the poor”, Francis has emphasized the need for service, mercy and empathy.
He has chastised senior church officials for losing sight of this basic duty, and has sought to set an example within the Vatican city state of the need to seek out those who live in the margins of society, whether it was offering showers and free haircuts to the homeless in Rome, whom he has taken in to the Sistine Chapel, or offering sanctuary to a family of refugees from Syria.
Given the location and those in attendance, his message could be taken as an address to power. Apart from the giant images of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos, the square is as much the centre of government as of revolution. It is surrounded by key ministerial buildings – Armed Forces, Interior, Communications Ministry and the National Library. Close by are the headquarters of the Communist Party and the Council of State.
But although many aspects of the service illustrated the opening of Cuba in recent years, there were also reminders of the continued frictions on the island. At least three protesters, who appeared to be distributing leaflets, were arrested, according to the Associated Press.
The previous evening, Berta Soler, the leader of Ladies in White – a dissident group campaigning for the release of jailed family members – tweeted that she and her activist husband Ángel Moya had been prevented from reaching the Vatican’s diplomatic mission by state security agents.
Soler’s husband, the activist Ángel Moya, told the Guardian that he and at least 30 other people were detained to prevent them attending the mass.
Moya – who was imprisoned for eight years – expressed disappointment that pope Francis has ignored the state’s actions, unlike his predecessor John Paul II who visited in 1998.
“John Paul spoke out clearly, but the current pope is too soft with regards to human rights. Cubans have a harsh life, but he has not been categorical enough when talking about civil liberties.”
Among those in attendance at the mass were the Cuban president, who declared earlier this year that he was so impressed by the pope that he was thinking of returning to the faith of his childhood; Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner – with whom Francis had a sometimes contentious relationship when he was still archbishop of Buenos Aires – and Cuban Cardinal Ortega, who was imprisoned during the 1960s.
Notably absent was the Che Guevara’s daughter Aleida, who in an interview with the AFP before the pope arrived expressed outrage that the Communist Party had asked members to attend the pope’s event.
Francis was the third pope to give mass in Revolution Square, following John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, but speaking as he was in his native Spanish, the Argentinian pontiff did not need to remind his audience that he was one of them – a Latin American.
Underlining his interest in the region and his focus on reconciliation, Francis made special reference to the situation in Colombia, whose government is currently negotiating with the country’s Farc rebels to end South America’s oldest armed conflict at talks in Havana. Describing this as a moment of crucial importance, the pope urged participants to secure a deal. “Please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and resolution.”
The crowd was large, but not huge – certainly well short of the multitudes who came to see Fidel in his heyday. Some had been there since midnight. Others had travelled from before dark on buses from distant municipalities. Many wandered in after dawn carrying bags of food, water and fans to keep them from the heat.
Among the Havana residents who came to see the pope was Juan Cespedes, a military veteran who fought at the Bay of Pigs, and then in Angola. Chewing on a cigar, the 80-year-old said he was raised a Catholic, let his faith slip while he was in the army, and has recently re-embraced the church. He said he was happy that it was now possible to be both a communist and a Catholic.
“There was a time when there were differences between the church and the party. That is just how it was. But now, we realise we can all get on together,”he said. “This visit will be a step forward for both Cuba and the US. It will help to promote peace between the two nations as there was before.”
Other older members of the crowd also testified to the reconciliation between the church and the state.
In 1960, after bishops signed a letter calling on Catholics to reject communism, Fidel Castro delivered a four-hour speech attacking “fascist priests” who served great wealth. Many in the clergy were arrested or exiled and the government confiscated Catholic schools and other church property.
“We had to keep religion to ourselves and practice at home in the 1960s and 70s,” said pensioner Maria Julia Hernandez, who starts crying when she recalls the changes and looks around Revolution Square. “I never imagined then that I’d be able to see the pope here. It’s a great joy to all Cubans.”
Not everyone was so awed by the occasion. Many teenagers had come as part of school parties and were not familiar with the pope or his message. Others said they felt a closer affinity to the syncretic Afro-Cuban Santería religion than to Catholicism, but were still respectful of the pope.
“He’s a pope for the world. He helps the poor and promotes peace,” said Issis Calvo, a teacher. “He gives us hope that he will strengthen relations with the US.”
The pope did not make reference to the US embargo, human rights or other contentious issues during the mass but he noted that the Cuban people, “has its wounds, like every other people”.
In the US, some on the political right have described the pope’s criticism of capitalism and emphasise on tackling inequality as an indication that he harbours communist sympathies.
His embrace of tenets of liberation theology, a Latin American movement that emphasized the need to serve the poor and use the church as a vehicle to force social and political change, has also raised concern among conservative Catholics who have long been wary of the theology’s historic embrace of Marxism.
But pilgrims from Puerto Rico said this missed the theological rather than ideological message of the pope. “We’re from the US and we don’t see him as a communist. He just wants to bring the world closer together,” said Norma Matos, who travelled to Havana with a group of about 50 people. They had been at the square all night singing and dancing as they waited for their spiritual leader. “He’s a special pope. He speaks for the people.”
This story was sourced from theguardian.com
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