Havana, Cuba, Apr 7, 2010 / 16:04 pm
The coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement, Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, has invited Brazilian liberation theologian Alberto Libanio Christo (Frei Betto) to debate the need for peaceful changes in Cuba.
In an article, Paya wrote that he is willing to debate the controversial friar who has previously expressed his support for the Castro regime.
Paya then criticized Frei Betto for being a “man of the palace” who does not defend the people, “but rather the minority status of those in power.” “Betto,” he added, “hides the intent of the Communist regime to de-Christianize our lives and our culture.”
He called the liberation theologian “the antithesis of liberation, as he has spread the doctrine of submission and aligned believers with totalitarianism as a condition for the respect of religious worship.”
“With his support for the repressive regime, he does not defend law or freedom of conscience, but rather denies the rights of human begins whose source is the first freedom ... the freedom of the children of God,” he added.
Paya concluded, “If Frei Betto wants to serve the cause of justice and peace, let him promote dialogue among Cubans, without exclusions, as free men and women.”