Word: cuba
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...finances. Yet Western governments - typically with plenty of money to invest in their own national police and intelligence services - often prefer to keep tight control of their data rather than share it with Interpol, not least because its members include countries with which they have tense relationships, such as Cuba and Syria. "The irony is that countries which Interpol would like to cooperate most with are the least likely to cooperate," says Deflem. Aside from such political tensions among members, Interpol also has to keep an eye on its members' integrity. In December, Interpol's president, Jackie Selebi...
...weak and underprivileged. Still, the relationship has its limits amidst the government control of information and silencing of opposition movements, which have often included Catholic intellectuals and clergy. The island's leading dissident, Oswaldo Paya, is a devout Catholic and is often referred to as the Lech Walesa of Cuba. In December, Cuban security agents stormed a church in Santiago, beating and arresting a group of human rights activists who had gathered to protest the imprisonment of three other pro-democracy dissidents. It is unclear if Bertone will raise this subject, which officials in Havana have tried to explain away...
Back in October, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone penciled in his calendar what promised to be an important six-day trip to Cuba. That promise has suddenly multiplied, with the Catholic Church's No. 2 official set to arrive in Havana on Wednesday night, just a day after Cuban leader Fidel Castro announced the end to his 49 years in power. It is perfect timing for the Vatican, which is aiming to play a central role in the island nation's transition into what many hope will be a post-communist future...
Bertone, the Vatican's equivalent of a prime minister, will try to use the fortuitously scheduled visit to give a boost to local Catholic leaders and position the Church as a bridge for bringing political and economic freedom to Cuba. The initial priority is reinforcing Catholic religious life on the island. Says one Vatican diplomat who monitors the situation in Cuba: "Steps forward have been taken, but the situation remains difficult. There needs to be new churches built on the island... [and] complete religious freedom." Ultimately, though, Vatican leaders are aiming even higher. As the only institution besides the state...
...never ceased to be a presence on the island nation despite the official atheist doctrine of the Marxist regime. Churches were never shuttered and diplomatic relations with the Vatican never interrupted, even as Cuban authorities closed Catholic schools and silenced Catholic dissidents. John Paul II's visit to Cuba in 1998, which Castro used to demonstrate his supposed openness, is credited with renewing religious sentiment across the island. Havana officials say today that the country now counts 520 Catholic parish churches, two seminaries, 1,000 priests and 1,500 Catholic missionaries. Bertone, who was invited by both civil and church...