[Marxism] Cuba and the Vatican Celebrate Seven Decades of Diplomatic Relations

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church do not participate in the
United States-sponsored blockade of Cuba. Pope John Paul II's 1998
visit to the island represented an important step of international
opposition to the blockade. Pope John Paul was welcomed here by
Fidel who greeted him at the airport and saluted him when he left.
After his death, Fidel spoke out strongly against the silly idea,
promoted on the right and by some on the left that the Pope was in
some way responsible for the fall of the Soviet Union and the bloc
of countries allied with it. They did fall, of course, but not due
to the Pope's activities, Fidel argued strongly. Read some more on
the discussion of that which Fidel initiated:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/pope.html

Pope John Paul II greeted Cuban Ambassador who came to present his
credentials to the Vatican in January 2005:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs042.html

Last month Fidel and the Cuban leadership met with the local Roman
Catholic Church leadership, an event reported on the front page of
the daily Granma here: http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs285.html
====================================================================

Cuba and the Vatican Celebrate Seven Decades of Diplomatic Relations

Havana, Dec. 14 (AIN) The 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between
Cuba and the Vatican was celebrated on Tuesday in Rome with a concert
entitled "Cuban Mass at the Virgin of Charity."

This event marked in the Santa Maria de Trastevere Basilica was
highlighted by Cuba's ambassador to the Vatican, Raul Roa Kouri,
before a large audience that filled the temple which dates back to
the 12th century; it is located in the oldest and most populated
neighborhoods in Rome.

Cuba's deputy culture minister and director of the Cuban Music
Institute, Jose Maria Vitier Abel Acosta Damas, travelled to the
Vatican especially for the concert which was directed by its author.
Also performing were the Exaudi Choir, Havana's Solo Orchestra and
soloists Maria Felicia Perez, Barbara Llanes and recording artist
Amaury Perez Vidal.

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Vatican were established on
September 15, 1935 with Monsignor Giorgio Giuseppe Caruana serving as
the first Nuncio Apostolic on the island.

Cuba was one of the first countries of the former Spanish colonies
that established diplomatic relations with the Vatican, ties that
have never been interrupted over the past 70 years.



________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism