Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Cuba Monday. I did not. I was scheduled to travel with a group from the Archdiocese of Miami. An archdiocesan employee called shortly before departure to say that the Cuban government refused me a visa.
This is not the first time. In 1998, when John Paul II came, the Cubans kept me waiting at Kennedy Airport while Cardinal O'Connor's plane was about to take off. At the last minute, they relented. Unfortunately - for them - I gave an interview in the meantime to a television reporter about their repressive regime. It was broadcast when we were already in the air.
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