Cardinal
Jaime Ortega
Reuters, 10/09 20:17 CET
By Daniel Trotta
HAVANA (Reuters) – Cardinal
Jaime Ortega rose from labour camp inmate in the 1960s to become one of
Cuba’s leading political figures, leveraging a non-confrontational style
into a rare position of influence for someone outside the Communist
Party.
With Pope Francis visiting Cuba next week, Ortega’s role
in boosting the power of the Roman Catholic Church on the island has
drawn both praise and scorn.
Cuba’s small but vocal dissident community and hardline
Cuban-American exiles in Miami believe he has become too cozy with the
government and should be doing more for human rights and democratic
freedoms.
Ortega, 78, enjoys unrivaled access among religious
leaders to Cuban President Raul Castro and he has long been an ally of
Argentine-born Pope Francis since their years together in the Latin
American Bishops’ Council.
A soft-spoken cleric with a ready smile, Ortega
negotiated the release of 126 political prisoners in 2010 and 2011. He
also played a role last year in Cuba’s detente with the United States,
leading to the renewal of diplomatic relations after 54 years of Cold
War hostility.
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Source: Euronews
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