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By Angus MacSwan
MIAMI, Jan 25
(Reuters) - Cuban exiles cried with joy in Miami on Sunday as they watched a
live broadcast of Pope John Paul's Mass in Miami and saw their countrymen
chanting "Freedom, Freedom,'' in Revolution Square.
"From now on we will talk about Cuba before the Pope's visit and Cuba
after the Pope's visit,'' said Francisco Hernandez, chairman of the Cuban
American National Foundation, the most powerful anti-Castro exile organization.
"Finally the Cuban people have had the opportunity to say and show what
they feel.''
Exiles said the Pope had fulfilled their hopes that he would bring a message
of freedom and justice which would implicitly condemn President Fidel Castro's
government.
Their earlier fears that Castro would manipulate the visit to boost his own
standing were forgotten as they watched almost incredulously the unprecedented
scenes broadcast from Havana of crowds chanting for liberty in response to the
Pope's words.
The Pope, in a meeting with Cuban bishops, called for reconciliation among
all Cubans though, and urged the exiles to avoid "useless confrontations.''
"To the extent that they consider themselves Cubans, they too must
cooperate, peacefully and in a constructive and respectful way, in the nation's
progress, avoiding useless confrontations and encouraging an atmosphere of
positive dialogue and mutual understanding,'' he said.
Some in Miami appeared to believe an end to Castro's communist rule had been
brought closer.
"I'm very, very happy. I was very nervous at first but every day has
got better,'' said Lita Fowler, one of a few hundred Cuban Americans who watched
the Mass on a big screen in the Freedom Tower, a former refugee center now used
by the CANF to host events.
Fowler wept frequently during the Mass, as did others in the audience. The
morning began in somber mood, with exiles glaring whenever Castro appeared on
screen, but it quickly gave way to joy.
They broke into laughter and applause when the Pope referred to Revolution
Square by its former name Jose Marti Square, after Cuba's 19th Century
independence hero.
As the Pontiff spoke of himself as the Pope of the oppressed, and urged
human rights for all, they applauded and shouted in delight.
The sight of Castro, seated in the front row alongside his friend, Colombian
novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was greeted with groans and hisses.
"It was extraordinarily emotional to hear the Pope mention the word
'freedom' more than two dozen times. The message is that they should not be
afraid to seek freedom and to hope for a better world,'' Hernandez told Reuters.
"I'm sure he (Castro) didn't like it. I'm sure he's seen the signs. I'm
not sure he can contain the Cuban people.''
The exiles seemed most pleased at the reaction of ordinary Cubans, who they
have in the past often scorned for being in their view too passive.
"I don't know where they were hiding. We haven't seen this before. I
feel now I am going back to Cuba,'' said a weeping Clara del Valle. "I am
very moved. This is what we have been praying for for years. Things will
definitely change.''
The CANF'S Domingo Moreira sounded a less euphoric note, saying he expected
Castro to clamp down on dissidents in the weeks after the Pope's departure.
The Pope's visit has been followed more closely in Miami than perhaps
anywhere outside Cuba. South Florida is home to hundreds of thousands of Cubans
who left their homeland since Castro's 1959 revolution and Miami is the base for
numerous groups dedicated to his overthrow.
CANF wields great influence on American policy, including ensuring that the
U.S. embargo on the island, which the Pope has condemned, is maintained.
Prior to the visit, Cuban exiles had been ambivalent on whether the visit
would be good or bad for their cause.
"Some people were afraid...but I think we have witnessed the failure of
the Cuban revolution,'' said radio broadcaster and CANF spokeswoman Ninoska
Perez.
"We saw people turn up in their hundreds of thousands to listen to a
message of hope. You heard the crowd roar. It has been a very moving experience.
Everything we could have hoped for, we saw it.'' REUTERS
16:01 01-25-98 |