Religious Affairs

Back in early December, we informed you that the presiding bishop of the Episcopalians in the United States, Katharine Jefferts Schori, was to visit Cuba in early 2007 to speak to the faithful.

There are believed to be about 10,000 members of the Church in Cuba, spread over 46 parishes.

Well, Jefferts Schori has just returned to New York after what appears to have been a whirlwind tour of the island.

According to the Church’s own media release summarising the visit, the bishop told the faithful during one of her sermons that there was "a sea of possibilities" for ending human suffering - from the local sharing of nutritious vegetables to caring for the elderly and infirm.

She then referred to how the "abundant life that God dreams for all creation" overcomes the death inherent in "oppressive and cruel systems."

Which may or may not have been a reference to the Castro regime.

The media release also says that while visiting “government offices” in Havana on February 1, the presiding bishop “also inquired of officials as to the status of prisoners incarcerated by the Cuban government for actions contrary to policies of the socialist regime”.

We don’t know how the representatives of the regime reacted – similar “inquiries” have been completely ignored for the past 49 years, no matter whom is doing the asking.

Certainly, the Castro apparatchiks would have been much happier to hear that during the sermon, Jefferts Schori also called on the U.S. government “to end its economic and political embargo against Cuba”. For humanitarian reasons, you understand.

According to the press release, her comments were received “with a standing ovation” from those present.