Catholic Church in Cuba Offers to be a Space for Dialogue
By Moustafa Hamze Guilart*
HAVANA TIMES – At the dawn of the 1990s, faced with a lack of responses to the necessary economic reforms of the time, I began to advocate —in my own way— for an orderly transition to democracy in Cuba.
My proposal for this transition is based on the idea that it should be initiated by the current Cuban rulers and their single party; somewhat playfully but mostly seriously “because they own the deck of cards.” They are recognized by the international community and maintain diplomatic relations with all countries. They have a constitution of their design approved in a referendum, and very importantly, they have a well-structured and integrated system of social control and repression, through a judicial power dependent on the state security organs, their mass organizations, and their single party.
In several opinion articles published on this orderly transition to democracy in Cuba, I have made proposals about the programmatic steps to achieve it in peace and harmony among the various pro-democracy Cuban currents and the totalitarian system of government. I have also advocated for these objectives in different forums on the Cuban issue and on social media, and in parallel, I have suggested that the Cuban Catholic Church and its bishops serve as an appropriate space to begin the conversations for said transition.
Fortunately, the Church has recently offered itself as a mediator for a “dialogue” among Cubans. However, the Church and its bishops should take into account the great responsibility they have towards the Cuban nation and its people, and therefore, should reflect on the mistakes made by this ecclesiastical institution in mediating with the government on behalf of political prisoners, through Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino as its representative.
I believe that Cuban bishops and their church should recognize that a democratic transition process cannot be mediated vertically, as it needs to involve the various political and ideological currents of Cuban democrats, who should deal with the rulers representing a totalitarian system in these exchanges.
In my view, the initial conversations between Cuban rulers, Cuban democrats, and the various organizations of independent civil society, religious and fraternal, should aim to agree on a roadmap for the transition. Therefore, the Church’s mediation is not sufficient as the participation of other representatives from the international community as guarantors of the agreements reached is essential.
In some discussions about the Church’s offer, proposals have been made regarding the democratic opposition, suggesting that it should unite in a single organization. However, I believe that opposition organizations, both within Cuba and in the diaspora, can participate in the deliberations through their representatives. This implies (as expected) that some, initially due to distrust in the Church and the country’s rulers, may choose not to participate in the dialogue. However, but if the results are reliable for a democratic transition, they would decide to include their representatives in the conversations.
I have my reservations in this regard, but as a saying goes, “the worst effort is the one not made.” It all depends on the Church, on its ability to achieve the most horizontal and transparent mediation possible, and of course, on the Cuban rulers’ willingness for a political transition to democracy in Cuba.
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*Moustafa Hamze Guilart writes from Sao Paolo, Brazil