Cuban bishops say cardinal treated poorly by U.S. officials

Published: 2005-03-07

HAVANA (CNS) -- Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino was held for three hours and treated disrespectfully by U.S. immigration officials at the Miami airport when he tried to enter the United States on a Vatican diplomatic passport at the end of February, said the Cuban bishops. An official wanted to open a file on the cardinal as a possible dangerous person and began asking him questions, which he refused to answer, said the bishops in a March 3 statement. The cardinal said he told the U.S. officials he was a well-known figure and complained that they were arbitrary in deciding which Cubans needed a file, according to the bishops' statement. Cardinal Ortega is president of the Cuban bishops' conference and head of the Havana Archdiocese. He is a frequent traveler to Miami, where there is a large Cuban-American community. The incident occurred Feb. 25 and was first reported Feb. 28 by El Nuevo Heraldo, a Miami Spanish-language daily newspaper, citing unnamed sources.

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