Page 12 - aruba-today-20190727

A12 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 27 July 2019

Cardinal Ortega, former archbishop of Havana, dies at 82

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ for the western province of
PETER ORSI Pinar del Río in December
Associated Press 1978 and was consecrated
HAVANA (AP) — Cardinal the following month. He
Jaime Lucas Ortega y Ala- became archbishop of Ha-
mino, a sugar worker's son vana in November 1981.
who oversaw the first papal At the time, the Cuban
visit to Cuba, helped lower government was officially
barriers to believers in the atheist. Believers of all faiths
communist country and were banned from the
played a role in mediating Communist Party, the mili-
improved U.S.-Cuba ties, tary and some other pro-
died Friday at age 82. fessions. But Ortega quietly
His death was announced helped rebuild the church
by his successor, Havana infrastructure around Ha-
Archbishop Juan de la Car- vana, establishing new par-
idad García Rodriguez. ishes and renovating more
Ortega helped open a di- than 40 churches.
alogue between Havana He also set up Caritas of
and the U.S. that led the Havana, the first office of
two countries to resume the Catholic relief charity
relations in 2014, after in Cuba. That planted the
presidents Raúl Castro and In this Dec. 9, 2009 file photo, Cuba's Cardinal Jaime Ortega speaks during a ceremony at the seed for Caritas of Cuba,
Barack Obama secretly cathedral in Havana. which delivers meals and
turned to Pope Francis for Associated Press medicine to people across
help. He served as a mes- But Ortega's beginnings communist government erated across the island the island.
senger for both sides, car- were modest, and his climb was further weakening were nationalized. Ortega Ortega was named presi-
rying secret letters and re- up the ecclesiastical lad- an already feeble Cuban was among many Cuban dent of Cuba's Catholic
sponses that helped thaw der was arduous. church. priests sent to military-run Bishops Conference in 1988
relations. The son of a sugar worker, The church, long identi- agricultural work camps, and held that position for a
With his flawless French, Ortega was born on Oct. fied with Cuba's wealthier spending a year beginning decade.
flowing vestments and 18, 1936, in the sugar mill citizens, took a vehemently in 1966. After his release, In November 1994, Pope
dark-rimmed glasses, Orte- town of Jagüey Grande anti-communist line shortly Ortega worked as a par- John Paul II named Ortega
ga cut an elegant figure in in the central province of before Castro declared ish priest in his hometown. the first cardinal in Cuba in
Cuban society. Abroad, he Matanzas, and moved to Cuba to be socialist in 1961. He also oversaw several more than three decades
was well known among fel- the provincial capital as a The government later ac- neighboring parishes, trav- — and the second in the
low cardinals, especially in child. There, he attended cused prominent Catholics eling among churches to island's history.
the United States, where he public schools and began of trying to topple Castro. say Mass, perform baptisms In 1992, the government
befriended several, includ- studying for the priesthood Public religious events were and officiate at weddings. dropped its constitutional
ing Cardinal William Keeler, at San Alberto Magno banned after processions A practiced pianist, Ortega references to atheism, and
archbishop of Baltimore. Seminary. were transformed into po- composed music for a Cu- a gradual thaw in church-
Born and raised in Cuba, He completed his studies litical protests, sometimes ban Catholic Mass, and state relations began, cul-
the country's top Roman with the Fathers of Foreign turning violent. Hundreds traveled to Havana weekly minating with the papal vis-
Catholic leader was men- Missions in Quebec, Cana- of foreign priests, mostly to lecture on theology at it on Jan. 21-25, 1998, and
tioned at times as a long- da, and returned to Matan- from Spain, were expelled. the San Carlos y San Am- government acceptance
shot candidate to succeed zas to be ordained on Aug. The more than 150 Catho- brosio Seminary. of some outdoor religious
Pope John Paul II. 2, 1964 — just as the new lic schools that once op- Ortega was named bishop events.q

Brazil challenges Russia, China on Venezuela crisis

By DIANE JEANTET leader Juan Guaidó. Few Russia on one key point,
Associated Press issues divide the informal however: an opposition to
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Bra- trade group as deeply as foreign intervention.
zil's foreign minister plunged how to deal with Venezu- "Our action (in Venezue-
immediately into the divi- ela, whose socialist govern- la) doesn't have anything
sive question of Venezuela ment is strongly backed by to do with intervention,"
on Friday as he launched Russia and China, which Araujo told reporters later.
a meeting of senior offi- have extensive investments "We agree that the solu-
cials preparing for a BRICS there. The neighboring na- tion must be constructed
nation summit, urging his tion's economic and politi- by Venezuelans." The focus
counterparts from Russia, cal crisis has caused tens of on Venezuela was a discor-
China, India and South Af- thousands of Venezuelans dant start for the meeting
rica to hear Venezuelans' to pour into northern Brazil of a group formed with the
"cry for freedom." "Brazil has as part of a vastly larger re- four nations were among
heard that cry. I appeal to gional migration crisis. the world's most dynamic
you all to listen to it too," For- Araujo denounced "a re- rising economic forces —
South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation eign Minister Ernesto Araujo gime sustained by force" and when Brazil was gov-
Naledi Pandor and Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo pose said at the opening session, that he said has led to ex- erned by a left-leaning
for photograpghers as she arrives to take part in a photo session
of BRICS representatives, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, July reiterating his conserva- treme poverty, hunger and government that was trying
26, 2019. tive government's support "the exodus of 4 million Ven- to reduce the influence of
Associated Press for Venezuelan opposition ezuelans." He agreed with Washington. q