4 Thursday, September 25, 1986 COURIER-JOURNAL National/International Report Cuban political prisoners given tearful welcome in Miami By Araceli Cantero Church. A group of U.S. Catholic bishops, Miami (NC) — With cries of "viva Norte the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and oceanographer America," about 100 Cuban political prison­ Jacques Cousteau all visted Cuba and ers and their families arrived in Miami on presented Castro with a list of prisoners. Monday, Sept. 15. Among the prisoners, all men, were They received an emotional welcome from Cubans who had served for 27 years in a crowd of 3,000 gathered at the city's prison. None had served less than 20 years. Tropical Park. Family members and old Some had been incarcerated for having friends waved American and Cuban flags, supported former Cuban president Fulgencio and some waved white handkerchiefs with Batista, overthrown by Castro in 1959. which they also wiped their tears. One prisoner, Jose Gomez Blanco, died in "It gets more emotional each time," said a Havana hospital just hours before' he was Monsignor Bryan O. Walsh, executive scheduled to board the flight. director of Catholic Community Services for Miami Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy the Miami Archdiocese. and Auxiliary Bishop Agustin Roman had Twenty years earlier, Monsignor Walsh greeted the prisoners at the airport. During worked closely with — but had never met — the welcoming ceremony, Bishop Roman, a one of the arriving prisoners in Operation native of Cuba, shouted, "For 20 years, we Pedro Pan, a program that brought about have been praying for the prisoners, arid we 1,400 unaccompanied children out of Fidel are glad these are now here with us." Castro's regime into the United States. Also at the ceremony were Monsignor Ramon Grau Alsina, 62, was arrested and Nicholas DiMarzio, who heads the U.S. charged in the mid-1960s for his role in that Catholic Conference Migration and Refugee unaccompanied-children program. After 20 Services; Deputy Secretary of State for years in prison, the nephew of former Cuban Inter-American affairs Elliot Abrams; and President Ramon Grau San Martin last week Miami's first Cuban mayor, Xavier Suarez. met Monsignor Walsh for the first time. The Monsignor DiMarzio said that the event two looked at each other and shared a long marks a new era in the relationship with embrace. They also cried. Cuba. He confirmed reports of further Grau showed no bitterness about his 21 negotiations for the arrival of other groups years in prison. "My faith kept me'going," of prisoners. he said, as he showed a wooden cross Thousands of Cubans left the country hanging from his neck. In English he told during the Mariel boatlift of 1980. A 1984 reporters that a Cuban official had tried to agreement provided for the return of. nearly take the cross away before he boarded the 3,000 Cuban criminals and mental patients flight to freedom. who came to the United States in exchange "First you'll have to kill me because this is for a plan to permit thousands of new rriy soul," Grau said. He told the official, immigrants to move to the United States. "For 21 years you have had my body but my But the Reagan administration's decision soul, never." NC Photo to launch Radio Marti broadcasts to Cuba The release of the Cubans followed almost Miami Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy greets one of about 100 Cuban political from the United States led Castro to break two years of quiet diplomacy by the Catholic prisoners arriving in Miami after being freed by the government of Fidel Castro. the agreement in May, 1985, in retaliation. Bishops' divestment move rooted in repeated condemnation By Liz Schevtchuk Washington (NC) — The U.S. Catholic ican long-term interests*" to fail to take a The South African bishops, on May 2, awareness of problems in South Africa, Conference's plan to divest South Africa- strong stance. meanwhile, became the first governing body requested prayers for that embattled land, related corporate stocks if the nation refuses A month earlier, on June 17, Bishop of a South African church to call collectively and recommended other actions. to begin dismantling apartheid by next spring Malone protested stringent South African for economic pressures to fight apartheid. The Sept. 11, 1985, statement minced no follows increasingly frequent and anxious state-of-emergency restrictions and And in December, 1984, Bishop Malone, words in condemning apartheid. outcries by U.S. bishops against the South crackdowns, including the curtailment of the in a letter to President Reagan, criticized As the statement put it, "on item after African system of racial discrimination. press, harassment and incarceration of administration policies involving South item, apartheid stands as a contradiction to Divestment was approved by the 46-bishop human-rights workers and detainment of Africa. the basic Christian teaching on human USCC administrative board, which journalists at a Church-runpublication. Finally, groundwork for the ad­ dignity and the human person." In an supervises activities of the USCC, the bish­ Bishop Malone had earlier called for days ministrative board's Sept. 10 action came a analysis presented in the board's statement, ops' public policy agency. of prayers for peace in South Africa. In May, year ago, when the board issued a "State­ the USCC Departmet of Social Development The board asked Catholic dioceses and Monsignor Hoye sought prayers by Ameri­ ment on South Africa." The document, and World Peace termed apartheid "one of other Church entities to remove their funds cans for all South Africans unjustly detained referred ro the USCC's own, then-ongoing the most reprehensible and all-pervasive from companies doing business in South or imprisoned. perusal of divestment, called for American systems of repression in the world today." Africa if that nation's government fails to begin dismantling apartheid and negotiating with black leaders by May 15,1987. Through apartheid, the legally mandated separation of the races, white supremacist Rebel priest, president agree to cease fire South Africa has maintained national power Baguio City, Philippines (NC) — Filipino and other resources, observers said. of the Cordillera People's Alliance, said he for a white minority over majority black and rebel leader Father Conrado Balweg and Bishop Emiliano Madangeng of the Apos­ expects the NPA to criticize the cease-fire. Asian citizens. ______President have forged a tolic Vicariate of the said The system, now exploding in violence, cease-fire which included political con­ Aquino's cancellation of the projects strips Father Balweg "stole the NPA's has drawn the world's scorn. It also has cessions to tribes in the Philippines' rugged the communist-led NPA of an issue around thunder," Father Guyguyon said, when he prompted divestment moves by many U.S. Cordillera region. which to rally mountain tribe support. got the government to stop work on the religious denominations, universities and Aquino said she. has ordered a halt to Father Patricio Guyguyon, vice chairman dams. private investors. controversial dam and cellulose- Church involvement began in November, manufacturing projects, which had been 1984", when Auxiliary Bishop Emerson important factors in sparking, tribal re­ Moore of New York asked other bishops to bellions. adopt positions regarding divestment. That During their meeting, Father Balweg and suggestion developed into a nearly two-year President Aquino drank wine together from study by the USCC Office of International glasses holding pe&> coins, a symbol of Justice and Peace, and culminated in this strength. month's recommendation. Aquino told Father Balweg she was acting During those two years, acts of bigotry, against advice from some of her counselors brutality and repression in South Africa have regarding the cease-fire because she is com- • drawn frequent — sometimes, almost weekly mined to peace. — criticisms from U.S. Church leaders. The priest's Cordillera People's Liberation Most recently, in August, USCC president Army and the Cordillera People's Alliance, a Bishop James Malone of Youngstown, Car­ coalition of 33 mountain tribe organizations, dinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, and seek autonomy for the mountain region. Cardinal John O'Connor of New York called Dam construction — initiated in the 1970s for intensified American pressure to end under the government of President apartheid and denounced the torture of — forced mountain peo­ jailed Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, secre­ ple to relocate from their traditional lands. tary general of. the Southern African The cellulose plant affected the territory of Catholic Bishops' Conference. the Tingguians, Father Balweg's tribe, Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Baltimore prompting him to join the NPA in 1979. He announced, it would divest stock from and several other tribal Divine Word priests assorted companies if those companies do were dismissed from their order for doing so. not cease their South African operations by .The priest left the communist-led guerrilla Dec. 31. force in April to form his own rebel group NC Photo On July 30, USCC General Secretary because, he said, the NPA was using tribal Philippine President Corazon Aquino hands a Bible and a rosary to tribal leader Mario Monsignor Daniel Hoye backed Senate legis­ people for larger strategic goals. Yag-Ao and receives a shield and spear in return. Trie ceremony celebrated a recent lation to impose sanctions — economic The NPA led armed raids on the dam and cease-fire between the government and the Cordillera People's Liberation Army led by penalties — on South Africa. He termed it cellulose projects, using the activity to justify renegade priest Father Conrado Balweg. right. "morally indefensible and harmful to Amer­ demands on tribe members for manpower