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NEWS FEATURE:
Aftermath of Pope's Visit to Cuba
January 30, 1998 Episode no. 122
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BOB ABERNETHY: Pope John Paul said Wednesday he hopes his landmark trip to Cuba last week will have the same effect as his 1979 visit to Poland. Many people believe that trip was an important factor in the eventual fall of communism. Another outcome many Cubans are hoping for is the lifting of the U.S. embargo. And now, apparently, they have new support from inside the U.S. Kathy Barber Hersch reports from Miami.
KATHY BARBER HERSCH: The pope's call to end the U.S. embargo of Cuba because of the suffering it has caused those whom he called "the most vulnerable" has had a profound impact on Cuban Americans. Those who made the pilgrimage saw people sick, malnourished, and even dying for lack of medicine and proper nutrition. Elaine Freyre was on the pilgrimage and was moved by what she saw.
ELAINE FREYRE (Pilgrimage Participant): I did get a sense of deprivation from the embargo. I think we have the feeling here that they can get anything they want. Actually, there are two Cubas right now, those who have access to dollars and those who do not, and the people who do not are really suffering. They are really being deprived.
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HERSCH: For years, the majority of Cuban Americans here in Miami favored the embargo and pushed hardline policies. They were heard all the way to Washington. But the pope's message is having an impact. Already there is talk of pressing for a change in U.S.-Cuba policy.
Dr. DAMIAN FERNANDEZ (Florida International University): The pope's message really empowered Cubans both inside and outside the island. And his message of truth and living in truth was very powerful and should resonate in the Cuban-American community. I think that is going to fuel some individuals' need to express the fact that they do not agree with the embargo, that it is time to help Cuban society.
Ms. FREYRE: It's time that we stop focusing on the policy of government, and maybe start focusing on Cuba as a nation and the people of the island as the people.
HERSCH: Despite the pope's call for an end to the embargo, there are many in the U.S. who will support its continuation. But the pope's message, echoed by many Cuban-American Catholics, will be hard for policy makers to ignore. In Miami, I'm Kathy Barber Hersch.
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