Religious Leaders Blatantly Lied to Carter

March 29, 2011

Upon his arrival in Cuba today, U.S. President Jimmy Carter met with two religious leaders (with close ties to the Castro regime) -- the Jewish community's Adela Dworin and Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega.

Both proceeded to blatantly lie to Carter.

According to Reuters:

Local Jewish leader Adela Dworin told reporters Carter did not talk about contractor Alan Gross or any political topics during a stop at Cuba's main Jewish headquarters, located in Havana's Vedado district.

She said Carter asked about religious freedom and was told "that we openly practice our religion."

That's interesting, for on the very same day, it was reported that:

Cuba has released an evangelical pastor from a six-and-a-half year prison sentence under condition that he does not preach and remains confined to his home city of Camaguey, representatives said Monday, March 28.

Omar Gude Perez, a leader of a fast growing network of independent churches, was informed about the conditions by judges in early March following last month's release from prison, said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

As for Ortega, EFE reported:

Jimmy Carter met here privately Monday with Cuba's Catholic primate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, and with leaders of the Jewish community as the former U.S. president began a three-day private visit to the island.

"Mr. Carter expressed to Cardinal Ortega his happiness over the process of dialogue Cuba's Church is pursuing with the government of President Raul Castro Ruz, one of whose results has been the release of more than 100 Cuban (political) prisoners," the archdiocese said later in a statement.

Correction, Cardinal.

Castro begrudgingly released these political prisoners due to the international pressure (not dialogue) created pursuant to the tragic death (by hunger strike) of another Cuban political prisoner, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, and due to the sacrifice of hunger striker Guillermo Farinas and the Ladies in White, who have suffered unimaginable repression.

Ortega comfortably stepped in at the last minute to relieve pressure from the Castro regime through the forced exile to Spain of nearly all of these political prisoners, whom he now has the audacity to lie about.