Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba Rejects Internal Intolerance

HAVANA TIMES, March 27 — In his welcoming remarks to the Pope, the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Garcia, rejected foreign interference on the island as well as internal intolerance, reported the daily La Jornada.

Garcia, who is also president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, called on those in attendance to search for the path to “dialogue, mutual respect and reconciliation” in a country he described as “pluralistic.”

“We are one people, but with different opinions regarding the way to move forward in seeking a better future,” said Garcia, who described the obstacles to this as being “selfishness and the inability for dialogue and respect for others.”

According to the news item, the message by Garcia reflected a “purposeful tone,” unlike the controversial words of his predecessor, the late Pedro Meurice, when he received John Paul II in 1998.