What happened?
On saturday the Pope departed on the biggest trip of his pontificate so far, arriving in Cuba, where he celebrated Mass in Revolution Square, attended by President Raul Castro. In the square, which features giant statues of Guevara and Karl Marx, the Pope called on people to care for the most vulnerable and to set aside ideology. Later he went to visit the country’s former leader, Raul’s brother Fidel, who persecuted Christians during his 40-year rule.
What the media are saying
Atlantic magazine looked at how the Church survived decades of Communism. Last year the regime finally handed back much Church property, including the decapitated statue of Santo Tomás de Villanueva outside the chapel of the Havana university, along with the chapel itself. “The Church has forged a space in Cuban society that no other organisation shares,” it stated. An editorial in the Washington Post was more critical, stating that “Francis may believe that merely by touring the country he will inspire Cubans to become more active and press the regime for change. But two previous papal visits, in 1998 and 2012, did not have that effect. By now it is clear that the Castros won’t be moved by quiet diplomacy or indirect hints.”
What the vaticanisti are saying
The traditionalist website Rorate Caeli argued that the Pope meeting Fidel Castro represented a surrender. “If this was about indirectly helping Cuba’s dissidents, then it has already met immediate failure,” it said. “Numerous reports speak of two dissidents who were invited to informally meet Francis twice [and] never made it … As Catholics we certainly hope and pray for the Castros’ conversion, but we have no illusions about the difficulties that stand in its way.” But John Allen at cruxnow.com said that Francis was never going to please his critics, and “becomes simply the latest religious leader to walk a fine line in Cuba – wanting to foster ‘bonds of cooperation and friendship’, but without seeming to blink at the still-oppressive regime”.
The most overlooked story of the week ✣ Catholic charity handed £1 million tax bill
What happened?
Catholic homeless charity Caritas Anchor House has said that hundreds of the people it helps are at risk after it was presented with a £1 million VAT bill. The charity, based in Newham, east London, was told by HMRC that it faces the bill for developing “move on” flats to support homeless people.
Why does the story matter?
The charity provides homes for 230 people a year, and works with those who have experienced domestic abuse and mental health problems as well as substance abusers and offenders. It has a high success rate in getting people off the street, helping them develop skills and go into training. The tax bill came about because the the charity defined itself as a “residential and life skills centre” rather than a “homeless hostel”. The charity is being penalised even though it has not changed what it does.
What will happen next?
The charity has appealed to the Government to reverse the decision. CEO Keith Furnett told local paper The Wharf: “We believe we’re being unreasonably penalised for accurately describing our operations. We hope HMRC will reverse its decision, and allow us to continue making a huge difference to people’s lives. Otherwise our work is at risk, and local authority services will be put under greater pressure.” Newham has the second highest number of rough sleepers in London.
✣ The week ahead
POPE Francis will give an address to the United Nations General Assembly today before leading an inter-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Tomorrow he will arrive in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families and celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss Peter and Paul. His trip will conclude with Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
St Thérèse of Lisieux’s feast day will be celebrated at The Friars in Aylesford on Sunday. It will begin at noon with a gathering service and a talk on St Thérèse (relics, pictured) followed by a blessing of roses and a feast day Mass.
CARDINAL Vincent Nichols will be in conversation with Vittorio Colao at Mansfield College in Oxford tomorrow evening at 6pm. Mr Colao is an Italian businessman and the chief executive of Vodafone Group. He attended a conference on ethical business, called “A Blueprint for Better Business?”, hosted by Cardinal Nichols in 2012.
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