disasters (1/4/08)
HAVANA (AP, 1/4/08) — More violent robberies and wars are on the way in
2008, along with dangerous forest fires, and this may be the year global
warming unleashes worldwide catastrophe. But with hard work and moral
discipline, the planet's people just might turn things around.
That is the word from 950 top priests of Cuba's Santeria religion, who
gather every New Year's Eve for religious chanting and animal sacrifices
and to make predictions for the coming year.
In their forecast released Wednesday, the priests warned ``Cuba and the
world'' of heightened danger from forest fires, ``violent robberies''
and ``serious climate irregularities.''
But there is still time to seize the moral high ground, reduce violence
and slow climate change, Priest Lazaro Cuesta told a news conference.
``There is still hope because there are still possibilities,'' he said.
Santeria, a mix of spiritual traditions carried to the Caribbean by
African slaves and Roman Catholics, is widely practiced in Cuba, even by
some members of the Communist Party.
The priests declined to directly address the health of Fidel Castro, 81,
who has not been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery in
July 2006.
``That's a topic we're not authorized to touch because we're not
politicians,'' Cuesta said.
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