The Visit Of Pope Francis Confronts The Opposition With A New Test

The Visit Of Pope Francis Confronts The Opposition With A New Test /
14ymedio, Eliecer Avila
Posted on July 13, 2015

14ymedio, Eliecer Avila, Havana, 13 July 2015 – Pope Francis's visit to
Cuba is approaching and the scenario represents a new opportunity for
civil society and the political opposition to live up to the
expectations of thousands of Cubans inside and outside the country, who
have been waiting for a long time for a coherent and worthy action be a
real force for change.

On previous occasions, when it has been able to exert political
influence and have a positive impact on public opinion – and mainly in
front of Cubans on the island – someone has always managed to polarize
the forces and present us as divided and quarreling, incapable of
working together to achieve a minimum degree of strategic consensus.

Some organizations have already advanced efforts to have their
representatives received by the pontiff. More than a few of us have
never understood what the criteria are, established from outside, for
choosing those who deserve the vote of legitimacy awarded by a handshake
with figures universally seen as prominent.

I suppose that the impossibility of doing internal surveys or seeing
some reflection of people's opinions of our society's political and
social actors, forces many advosors to lean toward the most picturesque,
whether positive or negative, because in any case that is who stands out.

This, coupled with some external gestures by those who have mastered
well the techniques more for devils than for old men and who have the
contacts, results in the same impassable and sacred media ghetto.

From my point of view, the Civil Society Open Forum is an ideal forum
to coordinate the plural and inclusive message that Pope Francis should
receive, given the high confluence of civil society and actors and
organizations among its ranks.

The ideal would be to choose a representative capable of carrying out
the mission with the seriousness, elegance, education and
professionalism to send a unified message from all the Cubans who make
up a part of this seed of democracy, of this free and independent island
that beats within the country.

Hopefully we can begin to undertake good democratic exercises for this
and other similar situations. The time is now to practice at home what
we propose for the country.

Source: The Visit Of Pope Francis Confronts The Opposition With A New
Test / 14ymedio, Eliecer Avila | Translating Cuba -
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