José Conrado Rodríguez Alegre, a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

from the parish of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesús, in

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

, is best known for his strongly worded open letter in 2009 to Cuban President

Raúl Castro Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz ( ; ; born 3 June 1931) is a Cuban retired politician and general who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the most senior position in the One-par ...

.Conrado, José
Fr. José Conrado to Raúl Castro Ruz: Open Letter to General of the Army Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Cuba
(5 February 2009, in English). The letter condemns what Conrado says are the

social problems A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's control. Soc ...

, the restrictions on

liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

and the increasing threats and interrogations that have been directed at his parishioners. Conrado had written a similar open letter to

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

in 1994. Conrado, considered one of the most outspoken of the church figures in Cuba, has been called the "Cardinal of the people". After a visit to see the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in 1998, Conrado stated, "The fundamental change is the protagonism of the Cuban people after years of having to hide what they think. What has happened in Cuba is a genuine miracle. It's the resurrection of the Cuban people." An interview with Conrado by journalist Emio de Armas won third place for the ''Catholic Journalist's Best News Writing National/International Event'', an article that, despite the restrictions on the press imposed by the Cuban government, gives an account by Conrado where he details the arrest and beatings of dissidents by the Cuban police inside his church. Conrado also has been interviewed in 2009 by Pierantonio Micciarelli, an italian film-maker, for his documentary "SOY LA OTRA CUBA" where he described a very different reality from the one displayed by the official propaganda.

Letter to Raul Castro

On February 5, 2009, Conrado wrote an open letter to Cuban president Raúl Castro Ruz which was published in the digital magazine, ''Contodos''.

Yoani Sánchez Yoani María Sánchez Cordero (born September 4, 1975) is a Cuban blogger who has achieved international fame and multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in Cuba under its current government. Sánchez attended primary ...

and Reinaldo Escobar traveled to Santiago de Cuba the weekend before the letter was released and spent several days there, meeting with Conrado. During the same visit they held a blogger meeting with young people there, and Sánchez put her Ortega y Gasset award in the sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, where “the long arm of the censor does not enter.” Excerpts from the letter were published on the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrado, Jose North American Christian socialists 21st-century Cuban Roman Catholic priests Cuban socialists Free speech activists Opposition to Fidel Castro Living people Catholic socialists Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Cuban Roman Catholic priests