¡Viva el R.P. Félix Varela!

¡Viva Cuba Libre!

April 10, 2012

www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines ...

"Cuban priest declared venerable"

Random snippets:

"Pope Benedict has declared Father Félix Varela (1788 - 1853) venerable, according to the Archdiocese of Miami.

"[S]aid Archbishop Thomas Wenski ...."

What the good archbishop said:

"In his homily in Havana, Pope Benedict called Father Felix Varela a shining example of the contributions a person of faith can make in building a more just society.

"Varela in his own words reminds us that there is no authentic fatherland without virtue.

"In recognizing this holy priest's heroic virtue by conferring on him the title of Venerable, the pope offers to the world a role model who in being the first to teach his people how to think also show[s] us a path to a true transformation of society.."

Summary conclusion:

"Father Varela represented Cuba in the Spanish parliament and called for the abolition of slavery.*

"Exiled from Cuba in 1823, he ministered for the last three decades of his life in New York City ..."

Quite a story!

Way to go, Holy Father! :)

*So, how many Anglo - American Catholic priests & bishops dared to so much as to publicly open their mouths on the slavery issue in pre - Civil War America!?