Cardinal Beniamino Stella, the pope’s special envoy who recently visited the island, expressed the pontiff’s hope that Cuban authorities would free and offer amnesty to those who had been detained and condemned during the historic events that had occurred in 2021.
Cardinal Stella expressed the Catholic Church’s hope that discussions between Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel and US President Joe Biden can take place despite the two nations’ strained present state during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the island.
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Stella emphasized the need for understanding among Cubans as she recalled Father Félix Varela and José Mart, two individuals who are revered as national heroes in that country. Stella came to Cuba in the middle of January and will stay until February 10.
Stella said that he had spoken with the pope about the matter before his travel to Cuba when asked by media if the Catholic Church may intervene to have Cuban authorities give amnesty to those detained during the 2021 demonstrations, the first in decades on the island.
Stella noted,”The Church wants, seeks, has manifested this proposal (amnesty).” He added, “I think the issue is on the table… The Pope very much wants there to be a positive response, whether it is called amnesty, clemency, the words can be secondary, but it is important that the young people who at one point expressed their thoughts… they can go back to their homes.”
Approximately 1,300 individuals were detained as a result of the protests, according to non-governmental organizations. One person was murdered during some of the violent protests that included looting and rioting. According to the authorities, 700 penalties relating to the demonstrations were handed out, with punishments ranging from a fine and community service to up to 30 years in jail for sedition.
There were significant economic problems, shortages, and outages at the time of the demonstrations. Human rights organizations and certain nations, especially Washington, have strongly denounced the island for what they see as Cubans’ free protests being suppressed.
Havana claims that it did not oppress its critics but rather simply penalized unlawful behavior like riots, vandalism, and sedition.
The Catholic Church has political sway in Cuba and has previously successfully pleaded for the release of opposition leaders.
A group of opponents who had been detained since 2003 were freed in 2010 and some of them made the decision to leave the country, due to the Catholic Church and Spain’s government’s intervention.
The Cuban government accused Florida-based anti-Castro organizations of encouraging riots during the 2021 protests via social media in the midst of a complicated economic situation brought on by the pandemic’s paralysis and the escalation of US sanctions under the administration of then-President Donald Trump.
