I’ve received a letter dated August 31 from Most Rev. Eduardo Boza Masvidal, titular bishop of Vinda and former auxiliary of Havana, now in Los Teques, Venezuela. I have involuntarily delayed the publication of this interesting document because the subject it addresses is not urgent, and, on the other hand, because certain matters, given their topicality and immediate importance, have forced me to address them almost without interruption.
On June 17, the Folha de São Paulo published an article of mine titled “A Prelate Brilliant by Absence.” In it, I offered these well-deserved references to Monsignor Boza Masvidal:
“Cruzado Español is a well-known Catholic magazine published in Barcelona. In it, I found some valuable statements by Most Rev. Eduardo Tomás Boza Masvidal, former auxiliary bishop of Havana and currently vicar general of Los Teques in Venezuela. I think it is essential to transcribe and comment on them here. …
“The Cuban prelate is a truly brilliant figure: he shines by his very absence.
“There is no irony in this statement. Let me explain.
“Once Fidel Castro had torn off his mask and revealed his communist face, the Cuban episcopate was divided on how to respond. Almost all bishops chose the path of collaboration, which led them to the shameful and cheerful acceptance of the regime imposed by the bearded dictator. Only one had the courage to resist the traitor of Sierra Maestra, responsible for the executions at La Cabaña and the confiscation of all private property in Cuba. For this reason, the prelate took the lofty path of exile. Absent from Cuba, he shines in the eyes of the world precisely because of his absence. It is an affirmation of dignified nonconformity and unshakeable hope for better days for the Church and for Cuba.”
The occasion for this praise was a brilliant letter in which the Cuban prelate refuted false statements by Archbishop Mendez Arceo—Mexico’s Helder Câmara—concerning Fidel Castro’s regime.
The renowned Miami newspaper Diario de las Américas later translated and published my article. That is how Bishop Boza Masvidal came to know me and to write this letter, which I transcribe in full:
“Dear brother in Christ.
“I was sent the article you wrote about me in Miami’s Diario de las Américas, and I want to thank you for your kind words about me.
“I would just like to clarify two points that I think you will be interested in:
“1. In the early days, the bishops of Cuba took a very dignified stance and published two very courageous collective letters, signed by all of them. Only recently did they soften their position, and the only ones who truly stood out in this regard were Most Rev. Oves, the Archbishop of Havana, and the head of the Nunciature, Monsignor Zacchi, whose position you know.”
“2. I did not take the path of exile but was expelled by force and violence; otherwise, I would have remained in Cuba, as I believe was my duty.
“May we Christians be able to achieve, through non-Marxist means, the true social justice that our peoples demand and our faith imposes on us.
“Reiterating my gratitude, I remain your devoted servant.”
The information provided by the distinguished prelate is certainly of interest to my readers and me.
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The document invites a few quick comments.
First, it is noteworthy that, through figurative language, the Cuban bishop makes clear his reservations about his fellow bishops’ attitude toward the communist regime. He describes it as “very dignified” only “in the early days.”
Regarding the conduct of Monsignor Cesare Zacchi, the Nunciature’s Chargé d’Affaires, Bishop Boza Masvidal’s language is discreet yet firm: “you know” his position.
However, the writer carefully distinguishes between the Archbishop of Havana, Most Rev. Oves’s, bold collaborationism and the other bishops’ less conspicuous conduct on the island.
A mere nuance, it is true. But according to the French, “la verité est dans les nuances” [the truth is in the nuances].
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For my part, I wholeheartedly support Bishop Boza Masvidal’s wish that we may achieve Christian social justice through non-Marxist means. This stands in stark contrast to Marxism and can be realized only in a harmoniously hierarchical and balanced society, in which leading, average, and modest people have what they need for a dignified, prosperous, and secure life.
This is precisely the desire of the overwhelming majority of Brazilians, as the facts prove at every turn.
I am convinced that the desire of our dear brothers and sisters in Cuba is identical, and that they would declare it as soon as the nations of the three Americas helped them free themselves from the nefarious tyranny that weighs upon them.
