Cuban cardinal pushed for closure of anti-communist magazine

Cable 07VATICAN89 According to a 14 May 2007 US state department cable released last week by WikiLeaks, Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega pressured the western diocese of Pinar del Río to stop publishing Vitral, a popular magazine that criticized the country’s communist system. After being suspended, the magazine finally resumed publication in a toned-down form and with a different editor. The cable quoted a Vatican official as saying Cardinal Ortega had “likely pressured local Bishop Serpa to shut the magazine down, apparently motivated by some personal feelings about the leadership of the magazine.” The government had been trying to close Vitral for years, but was afraid of the potential backlash and “must be happy because the Church did its dirty work for it,” the cable said. The cable noted that another Vatican official who knew less about Cuba had cited the official reason for Vitral’s temporary closure on 12 April 2007, namely a shortage of funds. The magazine’s name, which means “stained-glass window,” was intended to need to reflect a range of views in Cuba. The cable also reported that “Vatican officials have hinted in the past that Ortega has become too cosy with (President Raúl) Castro.” Although no Cuban prisons have been holding journalists since April 2011, the authorities continue to harass independent journalists and there has been a recent increase in attempts to intimidate them.