Pope Francis Visits Cuba, Avoids Talking Cuban Politics

By C Barnett --
21 Sep 2015 --

Pope Francis begins his tour of North America with a stop in Cuba last weekend.

Revolution Square can be termed as the political hub of evolving Cuba and on Sunday, Pope Francis arrived there to attend the outdoor Mass, also attended by President Raúl Castro and several thousand Cubans. There were many who expected the Pope to talk about the subject of political freedom since he was visiting at a time when such a speech would perhaps be apt.

However, Francis refrained from speaking about Cuban politics. He instead stressed the importance of peace talks in Cuba’s southern neighbor, Columbia. Even at other events he was involved in, Pope Francis followed exactly what he did when he was welcomed at the airport a day earlier: he did not venture into any direct criticism of the government of Cuba. Instead, he expressed his opinion in a way that could possibly be thought of as disapproval by some.

Pope Francis Visits Cuba, Avoids Talking Cuban Politics[/tweetthis]

Pope Francis is walking in the steps of his predecessors by visiting Cuba. These include Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II. Pope Francis is the first Pope belonging to Latin America and has a huge influence in his local region. There are a lot of expectations among the natives that he would get deeply involved in the subject of regional politics. The Pope’s credibility has gone up even more; given the role he played in managing the politically tactful breakthrough between the United States and Cuba.

However, the Pope has been extremely careful in avoiding appearing too political. The cautious decision of the Pope seems to have caused frustration among a few Cubans who wish to have a public convention with the Pope. The police had to stop some men on Sunday near Revolution Square who were distributing pamphlets.

The Pope has delved into some Latin American issues while not getting too involved in some others. When he visited South America in July, he encouraged a conversation between Chile and Bolivia about the debate on Bolivian demands to have access to the sea route. On Sunday, he also made a vital mention of peace talks in Columbia, even requests for direct intervention in the FARC group and the government negotiations has been rejected by the Vatican.

According to Cuban-American entrepreneur, Hugo Cancio, the pope’s role is much more than just a spiritual one. He is very much like the common native Cubans and has a deep understanding of their dreams and hopes.