Thomas M. Barrett: “last month we witnessed one of the most amazing events in recent memory, one that we thought that we would never see…”

“last month we witnessed one of the most amazing events in recent memory, one that we thought that we would never see: Communist dictator Fidel Castro welcoming Pope John Paul to Cuba. The sight of thousands of Cubans turning out to see the Pope and the sounds of his words on Cuban national television rebuking Castro for decades of repression against democracy and the Church were cheered by Americans. The Pope is on our side in the fight against communism and tyranny. But let us also remember the second part of the Pope's message: The U.S. embargo against Cuba is unfair and inhumane and should be ended. For almost 40 years, we have tried and failed to isolate Castro's Stalinist regime. The Cold War is over, yet we still pretend that the small island 90 miles off our coast does not exist. But for the millions of Cubans who live in poverty, the lack of adequate food and medicine is all too real. At a time when we send millions in humanitarian aid to 'democratic allies' like North Korea, we should heed the Pope's advice by ending the embargo for food and medicine. We can punish Castro, but it is time to stop punishing the poor people who live in Cuba and need food and medicine.”