A Gift from Pinar del Rio on Padre Felix Varela’s 225th Birthday / Intramuros, Yoandy Izquierdo Toledo

I remember every November 20th for a special reason (besides being the birthday of a dear aunt, and of a friend): on this day the Cuban nation gave birth to one of the preeminent pillars of our founding history, Father Felix Varela. “The complete patriot,” as Martí called him, knew how to merge science and … Continue reading “A Gift from Pinar del Rio on Padre Felix Varela’s 225th Birthday / Intramuros, Yoandy Izquierdo Toledo”

Cuban Catholic Church Dedicated its 2013 Calendar to the Personality of Cuban Priest Felix Varela / Ignacio Estrada Cepero

By: Ignacio Estrada Cepero, Independent Journalist The Catholic Bishops Conference of Cuba dedicates its upcoming calendar year, to 224th anniversary of the birth of Father Felix Varela. The almanac is already recognized by some of the Cuban Catholic faithful as one of the finest sellers in recent years. A comprehensive biography of the Cuban priest … Continue reading “Cuban Catholic Church Dedicated its 2013 Calendar to the Personality of Cuban Priest Felix Varela / Ignacio Estrada Cepero”

Activists Deliver 10,000 Varela Project Signatures to Cuba’s National Assembly / 14ymedio

14ymedio, 24 March 2016 – On Thursday morning several activists delivered 10,000 signatures on the Varela Project, which are in addition to the 25,404 signatures previously provided to this legislative body. Participating in the delivery were Rosa Maria Rodriguez from the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), Saily Navarro and Rosa Maria Paya, members of the Cuba … Continue reading “Activists Deliver 10,000 Varela Project Signatures to Cuba’s National Assembly / 14ymedio”

Father Varela, Man of the Present / Dimas Castellanos

The accords of the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), along with those emanating from its five previous congresses, have demonstrated not only their inability to solve the serious problems of Cuban society, but also to enforce the approved guidelines. The separation of the functions of the Party from those of the … Continue reading “Father Varela, Man of the Present / Dimas Castellanos”

The Citizen, A Debt to Padre Varela / Dimas Castellanos

Under the title, “The place of citizenship, political participation and the Republic in Cuba,” the Padre Felix Varela Cultural Center was the scene, Saturday, July 2, of a lecture by a lawyer and university professor, Julio César Guanche. The institution, belonging to the Archdiocese of Havana, occupies the building which, until last January, was the … Continue reading “The Citizen, A Debt to Padre Varela / Dimas Castellanos”

A Son of Fidel Castro Defends the Cuban Regime on Social Media With Capitalist Arguments

14ymedio, Madrid, 12 October 2023 — It’s been a little over a month since Alexi Castro Soto del Valle, one of the children that Fidel Castro had with his last wife, Dalia Soto del Valle, opened an account on the social network X, where he maintains a remarkable level of activity dedicated to the active … Continue reading “A Son of Fidel Castro Defends the Cuban Regime on Social Media With Capitalist Arguments”

Will Cuban President Diaz-Canel Pray in New York?

14ymedio, Frank Calzón, Miami, September 23, 2023 —  President Miguel Díaz-Canel, after giving a speech before the United Nations General Assembly this week, will be at a celebration event this Saturday from five to six in the afternoon at the Church of the Transfiguration, located at 25 Mott Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York. The theme … Continue reading “Will Cuban President Diaz-Canel Pray in New York?”

A Desperate Cuban Regime Hopes to Soften Up the U.S. through Vatican Mediation

14ymedio, Havana, 8 March 2023 — The Cubans detained after the 11 July 2021 (11J) protests are Havana’s only bargaining chip in its gambit to improve relations with Washington. Facing a severe and widespred economic crisis, the government is hoping for a diplomatic thaw that has yet to begin. Allowing the detainees to resettle in … Continue reading “A Desperate Cuban Regime Hopes to Soften Up the U.S. through Vatican Mediation”

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry Vetoes the Presence of Several Priests at the Event with the Cardinal in the University Great Hall

14ymedio, Havana, 9 February 2023 — The Havana journalist Adrián Martínez Cádiz was one of those invited by the authorities of the Catholic Church to an event this Wednesday at the University of Havana where Cardinal Beniamino Stella, envoy of Pope Francis, participated. The guest list included laymen, priests and nuns, and had to be approved by the Ministry … Continue reading “Cuba’s Foreign Ministry Vetoes the Presence of Several Priests at the Event with the Cardinal in the University Great Hall”

Cuba and the Protests of November 15

14ymedio, Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami, 7 November 2021 — I have not been able to find out, for sure, why Raúl Castro authorized the appearance of Carlos Lage asking for “deep changes.” Lage is the former Cuban vice president purged a few years ago along with former Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque. I have asked … Continue reading “Cuba and the Protests of November 15”

Cuba: Report Records Five Actions Against Foreign Currency Stores and Patrols in September

14ymedio, Madrid, 2 October 2021 — “The repression and terror” instituted by the Cuban government “fail to neutralize this new generation of dissident citizens.” The Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) reaches this conclusion in its latest report, made public this Friday, which includes 312 protests in September. Since September 2020, when 42 demonstrations took place, until the same month … Continue reading “Cuba: Report Records Five Actions Against Foreign Currency Stores and Patrols in September”

Jose Siro Gonzalez Bacallao, a Cuban Bishop ‘Close to His People’ Dies

14ymedio, Havana, July 19, 2021 — José Siro González Bacallao, bishop emeritus of Pinar del Río, died in that province at the age of 90. Among his works are the founding and sponsorship of the magazine Vitral, led by Dagoberto Valdés, a fact omitted from the communique issued by the diocese of Pinar del Río as … Continue reading “Jose Siro Gonzalez Bacallao, a Cuban Bishop ‘Close to His People’ Dies”

Cubans and the ‘Revolution’

14ymedio, Eloy M. Viera Moreno, Havana, 31 January 2021 —  The term “revolution” was used in the Cuban context for the first time by the priest Félix Varela. He did so in 1824, in a newspaper distributed illegally and secretly from hand to hand. The colonial authorities classified that newspaper, El Habanero, and its director as “mercenaries” … Continue reading “Cubans and the ‘Revolution’”

Diaz-Canel Plays Tourist in Ireland, First Stop on his Trip Before Russia

14ymedio, Havana, October 21, 2019 — The European tour of President Miguel Díaz-Canel has a stop in the western part of the continent, a rarity on the trip that the leader will take to Russia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan before attending the XVIII Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which will take place in Baku on … Continue reading “Diaz-Canel Plays Tourist in Ireland, First Stop on his Trip Before Russia”

Jaime Ortega, Cardinal of the Thaw, Dies in Havana

Luz Escobar and Mario J. Penton, Havana/Miami, 26 July 2019– Cardinal Jaime Ortega (1936-2019), a key figure in the secret talks that led to the reestablishment of relations between the United States and Cuba, died at age 82 on 26 July in Havana, after a long illness, according to ecclesiastical sources. “Jaime Ortega was a … Continue reading “Jaime Ortega, Cardinal of the Thaw, Dies in Havana”