Dear Mexican,
To start off I never declared that I took a side with either the Cuban exiles or the Cuban communists so lets make that clear please. I simply meant that living near these groups, I certainly hear news of Cuba from different sources all of the time, and have time to research the situation myself.
Your historical accounts of the situation of the Cuban Church right after the communist takeover is accurate however.
Though your statement that the Cuban hierarchy has been "infiltrated" is largely speculative and sounds more like an accusation to the Cuban prelates who have shown themselves largely to be defenders of the Church and anti-Communist. Just look up the "Varela Project".
You said:
Many people in Cuba will sure discover and get a liking for the Orthodox Church, maybe because it's a new thing, which is 100% Catholic but has no links with the government or with the sometimes conflictive history of the Roman Church in Latin America (leftist regimes in Cuba and Mexico often taught in schools exagerations about the conquest and the evangelizations, etc
The Cuban Catholics have suffered for their faith and they claim it jealously today. I doubt they would be willing to give it up so easily. Its like saying Russians should embrace Catholicism because their Orthodox church is so wound up with their government. And with all respect Orthodoxy is foreign in Latin America, the faithful can make a distinction between the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, so you'd have a hard time convincing people that the Orthodox are "catholics". Imagine, we have a hard time doing this in the U.S. sometimes.
In closing, like I said earlier, I have no problems with Orthodoxy in traditonally Catholic lands. They are not trying to compete with us nor we with them. They provide support for their faithful overseas and also are available to any non-churched persons. In any event I am glad that Monse�or Ortega welcomed the Orthodox delegation with open arms. Its a sign that Catholicism respects Orthodoxy as a legitimate voice for Truth.
God Bless,
ProCatholico
