These surprising words were spoken by Pastor Umberto Argudin, the  manager of a retreat center where our delegation spent a three-day weekend on the western end of Cuba. (This 25 member Witness for Peace delegation was in Cuba for 12 days in January 2001 to experience the effect of the U.S. embargo on the people and the arts of that country.)

Sr. Argudin  runs a 6 acre vegetable farm to support his work in this very rural, agricultural area. He supports the work of two churches in addition to his own. Farm animals include turkeys, chickens, pigs, cows. They grow garlic, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, plantain, bananas, lettuce, yucca, yams, pineapple, corn, as well as the all important cash crop of tobacco. When he elaborates on the communism/Christianity theme in the context of his own life (he is a  tall, handsome man who appears to be in his 60ís), his statement comes to life. His father, he says, was an ox cart driver under the Batista regime, had an accident and was thrown out by the corporation he worked for. One of 9 children, Umberto almost starved when his father was forced to take the family back into a town. At that time, he says, the peasants had no standing. They were exploited by the corporations, the landowners. Fertilizers were provided for the crops but at a high price. 

 ìWe couldnít afford doctors or medicines,î Umberto went on. ìI once drove a woman  in labor to the hospital in my old Mercury. She died. Her son is abnormal. Today we have an ambulance, a hospital, clinics. The Revolution changed everything 100%. There are no kids without shoes, all are educated, all have health care.

 ìThe pharmaceutical people had power and money and no conscience,î Argudin continued. ìI remember my mother crying from pain from a tooth. A pill cost 2 cents but none were available.î

Umberto feels that Fidel is as sacrificial for his people as Christ was.
He is clearly proud of what the Revolution has accomplished in education and health. 

Our other exposure to Cuban clergy was through the man who runs the Martin Luther King Center, the Rev. Raul Suarez, a Baptist. His perspective was somewhat along the lines of Argudinís. he described the effect of the Revolution of 1959-60 at which time most of the clergy (70%) left Cuba. Those that remained ìclosed up like an oyster, inside their four walls... In 1963 we began to hear about the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. We looked at  the violence of our revolution against the non-violent revolution that King was leading and  began to ask ourselves what our faith really was, who our God is. We found we could be revolutionary as Christians.!î

Fr. Suarez spoke strongly against what he calls the blockade (as opposed to the embargo, as we call it). ìItís against the people of Cuba, not against the government. The ëOur Fatherí is a living prayer here. We really are asking for our daily bread.î  Suarez says the Revolutionary ideology  (the rationalist ideology, he called it ) did harm to our young, but it also did some good things for our people. I canít condemn all of it because Iím a part of it.î  Suarez meets with Fidel, it seems. As he sees it, the fact that Fidel is not a Christian is the fault of the Church, because the Church had him for 17 years of schooling. ìSo we look for what Christian influence still remains.î

Some positive happenings  Fr. Suarez mentioned: 

•  Non-communists can now be elected to the Assembly.
•  "Weíve gotten permission to run a two hour TV program on the role of churches in social programs and how the Third Millennium is seen"
•  We continue questioning. ìI donít want the revolution to disappear. I donít want neo-liberalisim. I don'tíwant Miami government here.î

Suarez says his church is the only voice against the Death Penalty. He doesnít see it as a deterrent. He has met Helen Prejean and Hurricane Carter and is trying to bring them to Cuba.

Noting some ambiguities in U.S. thinking, Suarez noted that the U.S. is not concerned with human rights in Saudi Arabia or Chile, only in Cuba! ìIf there is a country in Latin American that has promoted civil rights itís Cuba,î he said.

Will the revolution continue? Suarez thinks yes, because the people closest to Fidel are very young.  His closest associate (other than his brother Raoul) is only 25.

Suarez sees the Christian Right and Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as creating problems for Cuba, but he was very positive about their relations with other churches. There are 4 sister churches related to his. The week of January 18-25, there was to be an ecumenical exchange of pastors. ìWeíre moving closer together.î We have exchange programs, week long summer camps.î A rabbi is being trained right now, he said. 

So why the embargo?

The following are reasons given at the American Intersection  by Mr. Larry Corwin, Public Affairs Officer. (The American Intersection is housed in a building originally  built as the Swiss embassy in  1953. The name is due to an arrangement we have with the Swiss government. The U.S. has the biggest mission of any nation in Cuba. Our representation there consists of 300 employees, only 50 of whom are Cubans.)

1. physical proximity. (I asked the standard question, why Cuba when we have given China most favored nation status for trade?)

2. ìto lift the embargo would knock out a propaganda prop.î

3. Over 10% of the population has declared itself - at risk to themselves - as wishing to leave Cuba. (N.B.: that leaves 90% satisfied..not bad when weíre doing our best to strangle them.)

4. to promote ìdemocracyî.

5. to get rid of Fidel (Larry spoke of ìthe biological solutionî..i.e, Castroís death)

6. to stabilize the region.

7. issues of appropriation of property and compensation.