Pope Calls For The End of 50-Year-Old US Trade Embargo On Cuba
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Pope Benedict XVI, on a ‘spiritual pilgrimage’ to Cuba, has criticised the US trade embargo on Cuba, saying it has ‘unfairly burdened’ Cubans.
At his farewell speech in Havana’s Revolution Plaza, the Pope made several references to what he saw as the need for ‘authentic freedom’.
Even before he arrived in Cuba, the Pope had been reiterating the call for freedom, brotherhood and reconciliation, as well as references to prisoners and those ‘deprived of freedom’.
Pope Benedict XVI, on a ‘spiritual pilgrimage’ to Cuba, has criticised the US trade embargo on Cuba, saying it has ‘unfairly burdened’ Cubans.
At his farewell speech in Havana’s Revolution Plaza, the Pope made several references to what he saw as the need for ‘authentic freedom’.
Even before he arrived in Cuba, the Pope had been reiterating the call for freedom, brotherhood and reconciliation, as well as references to prisoners and those ‘deprived of freedom’.
At the same time, the Pope denounced the violence in Mexico’s drug wars, and criticised Cuba’s Marxist political system for failing to ‘correspond’ with reality.
Related News: Even Mexico’s Drug Cartels Are Affected By Worst Drought In Years
Referring also to the US trade embargo against Cuba, he said:
[quote] No-one should feel excluded from taking up this exciting search by the limitations of their basic freedoms, or excused from this by indolence or a lack of material resources – a situation which is worsened when restrictive economic measures, imposed from outside the country, unfairly burden its people. [/quote]The US trade embargo against Cuba, also known as el bloqueo in Latin America, is a complete economic and financial blockade implemented after the 1959 Revolution. The terms of the embargo were further strengthened in 1962 after Cuba nationalised the properties and businesses of United States citizens.
Related: Agrarian Reform Law, Cuba
Yet, an official comment from Havana has already indicated that there will be no political reform in Cuba.
In his welcome speech for the Pope, President Raul Castro took the opportunity to criticise the embargo and what he called ‘capitalist decadence’, at the same time warning of a nuclear holocaust presumably orchestrated by Americans.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who is pro-embargo, told the Associated Press:
[quote] The pope’s visit helped show that there is no political space and no political liberty in Cuba. [/quote]After much speculation and hype, the Pope also met with former Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro before leaving for Rome. According to the same AP report, the two leaders joked about their advanced years, and Fidel Castro reportedly asked the Pope what he did as the head of the Vatican.
Still, not many are hopeful that the trip would inspire any reforms in Cuba. As Raul Castro said in a remarkable understatement shortly after the Pope left:
[quote] We do not think alike on all matters. [/quote]
Related: Cuba Trade, Exports and Imports
