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Medellín Conference (1968)Medellín Conference Documents: Justice and Peace Justice I. Pertinent Facts 1 There are in existence many studies of the Latin American people...The misery that besets large masses of human beings in all of our countries is described in all of these studies. That misery, as a collective fact, expresses itself as injustice which cries to the heavens.... But what perhaps has not been sufficiently said is that in general the efforts which have been made have not been capable of assuring that justice be honored and realized in every sector of the respective national communities.... 2. The lack of socio-cultural integration, in the majority of our countries, has given rise to the superimposition of cultures. In the economic sphere systems flourished which consider solely the potential of groups with great earning power. This lack of adaptation to the characteristics and to the potentials of all our people, in turn, gives rise to frequent political instability and the consolidation of purely formal institutions. To all of this must be added the lack of solidarity which, on the individual and social levels. Leads to the committing of serious sins, evident in the unjust structures which characterize the Latin American situation.... III. Projections for Social Pastoral Planning 6. Our pastoral mission is essentially a service of encouraging and educating the conscience of believers, to help them to perceive the responsibilities of their faith in their personal life and in their social life. This Second Episcopal Conference wishes to point out the most important demands, taking into account the value of judgement which the latest Documents of the Magisterium of the Church have already made concerning the economic and social situation of the world today and which applies fully to the Latin American continent. Direction of Social Change 7. The Latin American Church encourages the formation of national communities that reflect a global organization, where all of the peoples but more especially the lower classes have, by means of territorial and functional structures, an active and receptive, creative and decisive participation in the construction of a new society. Those intermediary structures-between the person and the state-should be freely organized, without any unwarranted interference from authority or from dominant groups, in view of their development and concrete participation in the accomplishment of the total common good. They constitute the vital network of society. They are also the true expression of the citizens’ liberty and unity.... Political Reform 16. Faced with the need for a total change of Latin American structures, we believe that change has political reform as its prerequisite. The exercise of political authority and its decisions have as their only end the common good. In Latin America such authority and decision-making frequently seem to support systems which militate against the common good or which favor privileged groups. By means of legal norms, authority ought effectively and permanently to assure the rights and inalienable liberties of the citizens and the free functioning of intermediary structures. Public authority has the duty of facilitating and supporting the creation of a means of participation and legitimate representation of the people, or if necessary the creation of new ways to achieve it. We want to insist on the necessity of vitalizing and strengthening the municipal and communal organization, as a beginning of organizational efforts at the department, provincial, regional and national levels. The lack of political consciousness in our countries makes the educational activity of the Church absolutely essential, for the purpose of bringing Christians to consider their participation in the political life of the nation as a matter of conscience and as the practice of charity in its most noble and meaningful sense for the life of the community. Information and "Concientización" 17. We wish to affirm that it is indispensable to form a social conscience and a realistic perception of the problems of the community and of social structures. We must awaken the social conscience and communal customs in all strata of society and professional groups regarding such values as dialogue and community living within the same group and relations with wider social groups (workers, peasants, professionals, clergy, religious, administration, etc.) This task of "concientización" and social education ought to be integrated into joint pastoral action at various levels. 18. The sense of service and realism demands of today’s hierarchy a greater social sensitivity and objective. In that regard there is a need for direct contact with the different social-professional groups in meeting which provide all with a more complete vision of social dynamics. Such encounters are to be regarded as instruments which can facilitate a collegial action on the part of the bishops, guaranteeing harmony of thought and activities in the midst of a changing society.
Peace I. The Latin American Situation and Peace I. "If development is the new name for peace,"...Latin American underdevelopment with its own characteristics in the different countries is an unjust situation which promotes tensions that conspire against peace. We can divide these tensions into three major groups, selecting, in each of these, those variables which constitute a positive menace to the peace of our countries by manifesting an unjust situation. When speaking of injustice, we refer to those realities that constitute a sinful situation; this does not mean, however, that we are overlooking the fact that at times the misery in our countries can have natural causes which are difficult to overcome. In making this analysis, we do not ignore or fail to give credit to the positive efforts made at every level to build a more just society. We do not include this here because our purpose is to call attention to those aspects which constitute a menace or negation of peace... II Doctrinal Reflection: Christian View of Peace 14. The above mentioned Christian viewpoint on peace adds up to a negation of peace such as Christian tradition understands it. Three factors characterize the Christian concept of peace: a) Peace is, above all, a work of justice....It presupposes and requires the establishment of a just order...in which men can fulfill themselves as men, where their dignity is respected, their legitimate aspirations satisfied, their access to truth recognized, their personal freedom guaranteed; an order where man is not an object but an agent of his own history. Therefore, there will be attempts against peace where unjust inequalities among men and nations prevail. Peace in Latin America, therefore, is not the simple absence of violence and bloodshed. Oppression by the power groups may give the impression of maintaining peace and order, but in truth it is nothing but the "continuous and inevitable seed of rebellion and war"... "Peace can only be obtained by creating a new order which carries with it a more perfect justice among men"...It is in this sense that the integral development of a man, the path to more human conditions, becomes the symbol of peace. b) Secondly, peace is a permanent task...A community becomes a reality in time and is subject to a movement that implies constant change in structures, transformation of attitudes, and conversion of hearts. The "tranquility of order," according to the Augustinian definition of peace, is neither passivity nor conformity. It is not something that is acquired once and for all. It is the result of continuous effort and adaptation to new circumstances, to new demands and challenges of a changing history. A static and apparent peace may be obtained with the use of force; and authentic peace implies struggles, creative abilities and permanent conquest... Peace is not found, it is built. The Christian man is the artisan of peace...This task, given the above circumstances, has a special character in our contingent; thus, the People of God in Latin America, following the example of Christ, must resist personal and collective injustice and unselfish courage and fearlessness. c) Finally, peace is the fruit of love....It is the expression of true fraternity among men, a fraternity given by Christ, Prince of Peace, in reconciling all men with the Father. Human solidarity cannot truly take effect unless it is done in Christ, who gives Peace that the world cannot give....Love is the soul of justice. The Christian who works for social justice should always cultivate peace and love in his heart. Peace with God is the basic foundation of internal and social peace. Therefore, where this social peace does not exist there will we find social, political , economic and cultural inequalities, there will we find the rejection of the peace of the Lord, and a rejection of the Lord Himself.... The Problem of Violence in Latin America 15. Violence constitutes one of the gravest problems in Latin America. A decision on which the future of the countries of the continent will depend should not be left to the impulses of emotion and passion. We would be failing in our pastoral duty if we were not to remind the conscience, caught in this dramatic dilemma, of the criteria derived from the Christian doctrine of evangelical love. No one should be surprised if we forcefully re-affirm our faith in the productiveness of peace. This is our Christian ideal. "Violence is neither Christian nor evangelical"...The Christian man is peaceful and not ashamed of it. He is not simply a pacifist, for he can fight,...but he prefers peace to war. He knows that "violent changes in structures would be fallacious, ineffectual in themselves and not conforming to the dignity of man, which demands that the necessary changes take place from within, that is to say, through a fitting awakening of conscience, adequate preparation and effective participation of all, which the ignorance and often inhuman conditions of life make it impossible to assure at this time."... 16. As the Christian believes in the productiveness of peace in order to achieve justice, he also believes that justice is a prerequisite for peace. He recognizes that in many instances Latin America finds itself faced with a situation of injustice that can be called institutionalized violence, when, because of a structural deficiency of industry and agriculture, of national and international economy, of cultural and political life, "whole towns lack necessities, live in such dependence as hinders all initiative and responsibility as well as every possibility for cultural promotion and participation in social and political life,"...thus violating fundamental rights. This situation demands all-embracing, courageous, urgent and profoundly renovating transformations. We should not be surprised, therefore, that the "temptation of violence" is surfacing in Latin America. One should not abuse the patience of a people that for years has borne a situation that would bot be acceptable to anyone with any degree of awareness of human rights. Facing a situation which works so seriously against the duty of man and against peace, we address ourselves, as pastors, to all the members of the Christian community, asking them to assume their responsibility in the promotion of peace in Latin America. 17. We would like to direct our call in the first place to those who have a greater share of wealth, culture and power. We know that there are leaders in Latin America who are sensitive to the needs of the people and try to remedy them. They recognize that the privileged many times join together, and with all the means at their disposal pressure those who govern, thus obstructing necessary changes. In some instances, this pressure takes on drastic proportions which result in the destruction of life and property. Therefore, we urge them not to take advantage of the pacifist position of the Church in order to oppose, either actively or passively, the profound transformation that are so necessary. If they jealously retain their privileges and defend them through violence they are responsible to history for provoking "explosive revolutions of despair."...The peaceful future of the countries of Latin America depends to a large extent on their attitude. 18. Also responsible for injustice are those who remain passive for fear of the sacrifice and personal risk implied by any courageous and effective action. Justice, and therefore peace, conquer by means of a dynamic action of awakening "concientizacion" and organization of the popular sectors, which are capable of pressing public officials who are often impotent in their social projects without popular support. 19. We address ourselves finally to those who, in the face of injustice and illegitimate resistance to change, put their hopes in violence. With Paul VI we realize that their attitude "frequently finds its ultimate motivation in noble impulses of justice and solidarity."...Let us not speak here of empty words which do not imply personal responsibility and which isolate from the fruitful non-violent actions that are immediately possible. If it is true that revolutionary insurrection can be legitimate in the case of evidence and prolonged "tyranny that seriously works against the fundamental rights of man, and which damages the common good of the country,"...whether it proceeds from one person or from clearly unjust structures, it is also certain that violence or "armed revolution" generally "generates new injustices, introduces new imbalances and causes new disasters; one cannot combat a real evil at the price of a greater evil."... If we consider then, the totality of the circumstances of our countries, and if we take into account the Christian preference for peace, the enormous difficulty of a civil war, the logic of violence, the atrocities it engenders, the risk of provoking foreign intervention, illegitimate as it may be, the difficulty of building a regime of justice and freedom while participating in a process of violence, we earnestly desire that the dynamism of the awakened and organized community be put to the service of justice and peace. Finally, we would like to make ours the words of our Holy Father to the newly ordained priests and deacons in Bogota, when he referred to all the suffering and said to them: "We will be able to understand their afflictions and change them, not into hate and violence, but into the strong and peaceful energy "of constructive works."... III. Pastoral Conclusions 20. In the face of the tensions which conspire against peace, and even present the temptation of violence; in the face of the Christian concept of peace which has been described, we believe that the Latin American Episcopate cannot avoid assuming very concrete responsibilities; because to create a just social order, without which peace is illusory, is an eminently Christian task. To us, the Pastors of the Church, belongs the duty to educate the Christian conscience, to inspire, stimulate and help orient all of the initiatives that contribute to the formation of man. It is also up to us to denounce everything which, opposing justice, destroys peace. In this spirit we feel it opportune to bring up the following pastoral points: 21. To awaken in individuals and communities, principally through mass media, a living awareness of justice, infusing in them a dynamic sense of responsibility and solidarity. 22. To defend the rights of the poor and oppressed according to the Gospel commandment, urging our governments and upper classes to eliminate anything which might destroy social peace; injustice, inertia, venality, insensibility. 23. To favor integration, energetically denouncing the abuses and unjust consequences of the excessive inequalities between poor and rich, weak and powerful. 24. To be certain that our preaching, liturgy and catechesis take into account the social and community dimensions of Christianity forming men committed to world peace. 25. To achieve in our schools, seminaries and universities a healthy critical sense of the social situation and foster the vocation of service. We also consider very efficacious the diocesan and national campaigns that mobilize the faithful and social organizations, leading them to a similar reflection. 26. To invite various Christian and non-Christian communities to collaborate in this fundamental task of our times. 27. To encourage and favor the efforts of the people to create and develop their own grass-roots organizations for the redress and consolidation of their rights and the search for true justice. 28. To request the perfecting of the administration of justice, whose deficiencies often cause serious ills. 29. To urge a halt and revision in many of our countries of the arms race that at times constitutes a burden excessively disproportionate to the legitimate demands of the common good, to the detriment of desperate social necessities. The struggle against misery is the true war that our nations should face. 30. To invite the bishops, the leaders of different churches and all men of good will of the developed nations to promote in their respective spheres of influence, especially among the political and financial leaders, a consciousness of greater solidarity facing our underdeveloped nations, obtaining among other thing, just prices for our raw materials. 31. On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the solemn declaration of Human Rights, to interest universities in Latin America to undertake investigations to verify the degree of its implementation in our countries. 32. To denounce the unjust action of world powers that works against self-determination of weaker nations who must suffer the bloody consequences of war and invasion and to ask competent international organizations for effective and decisive procedures. 33. To encourage and praise the initiatives and works of all those who in the diverse areas of action contribute to the creation of a new order which will assure peace in or midst.
Key Documents of National ChurchesCubaNational Encounter of the Cuban Church (1986)The greatest event in the Cuban Catholic Church since the revolution has been, by all accounts, the National Encounfer (ENEC). Thousands of Catholics mobilized themselves in a multi-year endeavor to prepare for the Congress. They attended grass-roots meetings throughout the island. Bishops, priests, sisters, and lay participants carried forward the discussion at diocesan and national levels. Their efforts culminated in the Congress. Throughout it all, Cuban Catholics struggled to tell the truth about themselves. The description of the Church was painful: less than 2 percent of Cubans regularly attended services; the Church could count on barely two hundred priests; and discrimination against active Catholics was still a fact of Cuban life. Nonetheless, the exercise proved to be a cleansing and energizing one for the life of the Church in Cuba. In the opening address to the Congress, Bishop Adolfo Rodriguez Herrera, speaking in the name of the Cuban bishops, set the tone for the Congress.
At a gathering of priests in 1979, in El Cobre, which was in fact dealing with the topic of hope, Bishop Ascarate made a proposal for a nationwide reflection process, which he himself called "tilting at windmills." No one could then imagine that such a quixotic idea would one day become a reality, and that that hesitant idea was to be the first spark of a vast spiritual blaze enveloping our whole Cuban Church, of which those of us who are gathered here today are a kind of proof. Indeed, from this point on, what was once mere thought is now a reality. From that first moment, this ENEC' was something real. We are celebrating it here today, providentially during this International Year of Peace, twenty years after the Second Vatican Council, on the 50th anniversary of the canonical crowning of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, at a time in which a cross given to us by the pope - a replica of the first cross planted on soil in the Americas in 1514 - is being taken around our island and is here with us to preside over this assembly, and on the 133rd anniversary of the death of Father Varela, the Cuban of whom it has been said that as long as there is thinking in Cuba, people will think of the one who first taught us to think. Gathered here are brothers and sisters from Pinar del Rio and from Havana, from Matanzas and from Cienfuegos-Santa Clara, from Ca-magiiey, Holguin, and Santiago, in an unusual meeting, which is not bringing those from Pinar with those from Holguin, nor those from Santiago with those from Santa Clara, nor laity with priests, but simply bringing together Cuban Catholics, without any artificial divisions, who have brought something of their lives so as to seek together how the Church in Cuba can build communion with God and with the Cuban people of which we form part. Behind every priest here, stand all the priests of Cuba who are not present; behind every sister here, stand all the sisters of Cuba who are not present; behind every lay person here - man or woman, young, adult, worker, peasant, professional person, student - stand all Cuban lay people. We represent them; we are accountable to them; without them, our presence here would be meaningless. It would mean even less outside them or against them: against their yearnings, their expectations, their opinions, their hopes, which we must not disappoint. For a Church that has many problems, that has only 200 priests, scant means, poor resources, simple folk, the path over these five years of church reflection has been long, and it has not been easy. But despite its limitations, this Church has been able to bring about this truly historic event. It is a Church that cannot say to the Lord, and certainly not today, "Lord you have not given us anything," for this gathering is proof to us that he has given us the greatest miracle, the most mysterious and difficult mystery, what is called the "miracle of empty hands," the hands that can give even what they do not have. The first to be surprised by this convocation and by this Working Document has been the Church itself. ENEC (Encuentro Nacional Eclesial Cubano, literally "National Encounter of the Cuban Church") was a national meeting of lay, clergy, and religious held in 1985 after years of preparation through parish and diocesan meetings. To a considerable extent, ENEC represented the first systematic grass-roots effort by the Catholic Church to come to terms with the changes wrought by the revolution, which started some twenty-five years earlier. The Two Coordinates of ENEC ENEC arose with two basic dreams in its heart. The first was a dream of being a faithful image of our Master, Jesus Christ, from whom the Church is inseparable since from him, it receives its essence and its existence and with them its mission, of whom it is the universal sacrament of salvation since it occupies his place without replacing him. It also arose with the dream of better serving our Cuban people: serving their happiness, their national unity, their progress, their spiritual welfare. This is the people whose character and history, whose sacrifices and hopes, whose dangers and problems we share. This is the people to whom we as Christians have something to share that connects with the very roots of our identity as a nation, which is Christian, of mixed blood, island-bound, and Cuban. Our intention is that these two attitudes - fidelity to Christ and fidelity to Cuba - be the two coordinates of our ENEC. At this inauguration, the bishops of Cuba, in whose name I am speaking and whose sentiments I am expressing, wish to encourage everyone, with sincere affection, to act in harmony with this intuition that is at the very root of ENEC. ENEC as Celebration During these five years, we have heard priests, sisters, and lay people repeat very insistently that ENEC should not be just one more meeting but, rather, a celebration of the Cuban Church. We are now in the midst of that celebration, in this feast that belongs to all Cubans, for history teaches us that when the Church is happy, whole peoples are also happy. This is a celebration proclaiming its faith in Christ in whom we believe above anything else, more than in this very ENEC. In him, in his words and deeds, we want to seek together our stance as Church for the here and now. The aim of ENEC can be nothing but that of following the same path as Christ, which is always the same, but which has a thousand different ways of calling the Church to fulfill its mission in this world, experiencing all variations, even the most painful, until it comes to its fullness. This is a celebration that proclaims our faith in the gospel as wonderful news for any human being, however vulnerable, since the gospel furnishes us with proof of the Father's love, as described in the parable of the merciful Father. This is a celebration that proclaims what Pope Paul VI called, "faith in the human being and in the innate power of good," which is stronger than evil, as love is stronger than hatred, and as life is stronger than death. This is a celebration that, with head held high, proclaims respect for our Christian identity, like the person in the gospel who finds the treasure of the gospel and is ready to lose everything else rather than lose that treasure. Finally, this is a celebration that proclaims our faith in the Church, but not in the Church as abstract, theoretical, ideal, worldwide, made up of mere theological terms, but in a concrete, practical, real Church, which is called the Church of God in Cuba, whether beautiful or wrinkled, happy or distressed; both holy and sinful; perfect and also perfectible; therefore, a Church continually under judgment by the gospel and continually called to conversion and to holiness of life, to whose merits we all appeal every day when we say to the Lord, "Lord, look not at our sins but at the faith of your Church." Key Aspects of ENEC This is a Church seeking to be missionary, for otherwise it would be like a sect heading straight into phariseeism and would cease to be the Church; a Church seeking to be a sign of communion, for otherwise it would be like a Noah's Ark, with a pair from each species, and would cease to be the Church; a Church seeking to be incarnate, for otherwise it would be "opium of the people" and would cease to be the Church. And if (as all our diocesan assemblies have intuited) our Church in Cuba wants to be missionary and wants to be a sign of communion, then the human Church must be the Church of openness; the Church of dialogue; the Church of participation; the Church with outstretched arms and open doors; the Church of forgiveness; the Church of service; the Church that "washes feet" like the Master (cf. Jn 13:5), that walks two miles with the person who asks one, that hands over its coat when asked for a shirt, and that offers the left cheek to one who strikes its right (cf. Mt 5:39); that is, the Church that in this life always comes forth with something unexpected: serenity, understanding, love. In reading the Working Document, it seems to us that actually the effort in this ENEC is not to search for new criteria or new principles. The perennial ones are satisfactory for us, those that derive from the gospel and are the very same ones that emerge from the diocesan assemblies. Our effort is rather to seek how to apply them to our specific situation. The point is to open to others the whole enormous experience of brotherliness and sisterliness, service, unity, solidarity, joy, hope against all hope that we have been living within the Church for twenty-seven years and to offer it to them, so that people may make use of this experience to the extent that their personal freedom may require. When we read the major points made by our diocesan assemblies, we note that our Catholics simply have changed accents, emphasized aspects, renewed perspectives, read new signs, in a basic continuity with the past and with the gospel, in order to better fulfill our mission on this Cuban soil, which is the good soil of the gospel, where it is enough to sow the seed in order to watch it grow and flourish. Our Christians opted for dialogue from the very beginning when dialogue was no more than a yearning. They opted for opening, when the doors seemed closed and the curtains drawn; they opted for evangelization, when in our pastoral work, we went no further than so-called silent witness; they opted for incarnation when it was said that religion cannot form good citizens because its supernatural character makes these citizens questionable in affairs of a natural character. Therefore, no event prior to ENEC had to produce any abrupt change in the direction taken by the original options made by Cuban Catholics, just as no event subsequent to ENEC, whether adverse or favorable, should change this unanimous determination and this gospel intuition on the part of Cuban Catholics who said: "Opening, certainly! May it open new space for the Gospel"; "Dialogue, certainly! May it be sincere and realistic both externally and internally"; "Incarnation, certainly! May it not be like an abstract dogma"; "Evangelization, certainly!..." They also welcomed unrestricted respect for our Christian identity. If nothing had happened along the way to ENEC, such an event would have taken place exactly like this ENEC. Any sign, whether subsequent or prior, would do nothing but reformulate what is already formulated, and re-explicitate what is already explicit. Some Assumptions Before beginning our assembly, we bishops believe it would be a good idea to note or to clarify three points that, properly speaking, are not our own since they come from the same sentiments that were expressed in the diocesan assemblies: 1. The ENEC is not seeking a sparkling document, although there will be a document that will belong to the Church, and in that document, the Cuban Church wishes to formulate in writing its pastoral approach. Nor is the purpose of ENEC to celebrate a fiesta, although it is a festive celebration of the Church. The ENEC was born as a new spirit in our Church, and that spirit is more important than the papers and the celebration. The ENEC will really achieve its objective when this spirit permeates through to the heart of the Church, into its life, institutions, and persons. The ENEC is the lungs of the Cuban Church; the conscious awareness of the Cuban Church; the response of the Cuban Church to new needs, under the teaching inspiration of the Holy Spirit; this spirit is what will prevent our pastoral activity from being paralyzed, anarchic, or false, and that is the number one objective of this reflection. Nor is there any need to say that ENEC will go down in history as a judgment, for that belongs only to God. It is not true that a person or an institution or a system can change the direction of another from outside through force or condemnation. We are still weighed down with the memory of the high price paid during periods when we sought to combat error through the Inquisition, and it did not work; then we did so by declaring "anathema sit" and it did not work; then by means of the Index, and it did not work; then by means of the Holy Office, and it did not work; finally, through apologetics, and it did not work either. We cannot ignore love for the sake of truth or effectiveness, and "love always triumphs over judgment" gas 2:13). 2. The ENEC only marks an intermediate step and is also heading toward other intermediate steps, leading toward the goal that transcends us and transcends the Church. It is not a finish line, but a new beginning. It seeks to be prophetic, suggestive, and programmatic, looking out at long range. Therefore, the deep intuition of ENEC must be achieved within the patience of the Church, which ever waits, even in the night. God does not provide everything in this life - nor does ENEC. Nothing in life is until today and from today; life is woven together step by step and so is ENEC. The ENEC cannot deal with everything, treat everything exhaustively, or solve everything. The only thing the ENEC can do is fulfill what the Lord taught: "Walk today's stretch of road today, and tomorrow's tomorrow, without trying to see the whole road." A question lies implicitly before us: What will be the historic fate of the Cuban Church after the ENEC? Perhaps tomorrow, we will have the impression that nothing has happened, that the sun keeps rising the same as ever, and that everything remains the same. But it will not be the same: as in the blessing of the minister, as in the consecration of the Eucharist, where it seems that nothing has happened, but something has happened, indeed. In this life, we can err by being too slow, but we can also err by being too hasty. This is the first ENEC. Why must it be the last? Cuban Catholics have a reputation for being very generous, and it will always be easier to ask the generous to be patient than to ask the impatient to be generous. 3. If anyone here is worried about what kind of climate will prevail in this assembly, it is because such a person has forgotten many things. That person has forgotten the climate that prevailed in parish, vicariate, zone, and diocesan assemblies over a five-year period. That person has forgotten that we are Cubans, children of this people schooled in very liberal and tolerant traditions, always able to listen, always able to pay attention, always able to show respect. Such a person has forgotten the human and spiritual quality of our Cuban priests, sisters, and lay people, of whom our Church feels very proud. They have shown their capability by elaborating this Working Document, which is the most ecclesial and yet the least clerical in our history. There are many reasons that give us assurance ahead of time that we have not come here to hear our own voices, to see what we can get for ourselves, to make make rash trumpet blasts at this moment, which is not one for trumpet calls but for coherence, realism, and service. Many eyes worldwide are trained on the Cuban Church which, at this moment, seems to be at the center of things. The fact is that Cuba, its Church, its State, its people, all of us share the opportunity and the responsibility for aiding the overall evolution of the world. We trust in God, but we also trust in you. During these twenty-seven years, the Cuban Church has entrusted to the laity its most cherished and holy things, the things that the Church regards as of the greatest importance. It entrusted to you the Eucharist so you could take it to the sick; it entrusted to you the sacred Scriptures so you could read them in the assembly; it entrusted you with celebrations of the Word so you could lead them; it entrusted to you parish finances so you could take charge of administration. With the same confidence, the Cuban Church today entrusts to you its future, confident in your responsibility and seriousness, in your serenity and solidity, in your obedience and objectivity. The Church proves its good will by allowing diversity in unity and equality in diversity, under its universal golden rule: In certis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus charitas. (In matters that are certain: unity; in matters that are doubtful: freedom; in all things: charity). Reflection of the Heart Brothers and Sisters: In this ENEC, we must think with our head but without smothering the reasons of the heart. We must do so first because the Lord taught us to see the essential, the deep things, with our heart, and he grieves when human beings think only with their heads: "There is none who thinks with his heart," says Isaiah. The second reason is that the language of the heart is easier for everyone to understand, and that is especially true of Cubans who are friendly, expressive, emotional, little given to revenge or resentment, who do not harbor things for a long time, as was reflected in the surveys in preparation for the ENEC. No one will find in the Working Document the spirit of revenge, resentment, and recrimination, a desire to focus on wounds suffered, or the rigid discourse of the older son in the parable. Nor will such a person find coldblooded strategy or duplicity or selfish calculation or false compromises or arrogant style. Nor will there be found a striving to be lily-white angels, empty triumphalism, opportunistic adjustment, or the simplistic optimism of those who stuff cotton in their ears to keep from hearing of their own errors and to keep from knowing the errors of others. The Working Document does not seek to give any further encouragement to the kind of fear that paralyzes, the kind of mistrust that weighs down, the kind of cowardice that masks, or the kind of attitude that inhibits. It does not fall into the error of reductionism in the area of faith, by putting faith to one side or having it challenge or compete with other ideologies as though faith were an experience that could be reduced to any other human experience. Our ENEC has no aspirations to reconquer power or to salvage positions, favors, or privileges for the Church. The Church wants nothing else but the space it needs to carry out its mission and also to pronounce its ethical and moral - not political - judgment, even on problems that are not strictly religious but are human problems. That is not a privilege but a right and a service: the right of human beings to receive God's Word and to illuminate their whole lives with the light of this Word. In an open and friendly way, the Church wants to proclaim its faith to all human beings, even to those who consider it their enemy, for the Church does not want to feel like anyone's enemy. In sum, the Church hopes and expects that the faith will cease being a problem, a weakness, an ideological distraction in our country, and that the future will not look like the past. In order to arrive at that point, the Church has no other way and no other language but the way and language of the heart. The Hope of the Church The Spirit is going to lead us over his ways, which are not our ways, toward imitating Jesus ever more faithfully and toward an ever closer communion with our Cuban people, with whom we share an amalgam of faith, culture, and race, and with whom we also share the good fortune of having been born here. By our nature, we Cubans are able to build anything together. Together we are going to build this road of the Spirit, taking the credit for whatever goes well in our country, and when things go wrong, humbly asking ourselves what we can do to make them go right. Open to the Spirit's unpredictability, the Cuban Church wants to be the Church of hope: remembering the past, living the present, and hoping toward the future. We have a hope, and we want to offer words of hope to those who request them of us, to those who need them, to those whose gaze is fixed only on earthly things, thus limiting their human aspirations, and who feel that they are missing something. We have neither the very first nor the very last word, but we believe that there is a very first and very last word, and we hope in the One who has it, the Lord. Toward him we look with serene confidence toward the ever uncertain future. For we know that tomorrow before the sun rises, God's providence will have arisen over Cuba and over the whole world. Brazil: Land
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