The figure of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro has reached a higher dimension today. One that the world cannot ignore, but must honor. No tribute is too small to commemorate the centennial of this revolutionary, immense in thought and action.
Many tributes are being paid to him in Cuba and in numerous countries. As many as the gratitude of those who recognize in him the ability to summon wisdom, nobility, and the spirit of service to humanity.
Among the most authoritative voices to speak about the Commander-in-Chief is that of the renowned Brazilian theologian Frei Betto. Also who not only interviewed him for the book “Fidel and Religion,” but was also one of his closest friends.
In an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina, the intellectual painted an intimate yet transcendent portrait of the revolutionary leader. Revealing the human dimension of a statesman who marked the 20th century in Latin America.
Fidel Castro was, for Frei Betto, “a very dear friend and a very affectionate person.” The Brazilian theologian commented that his relationship with the Cuban leader transcended the intellectual and political to become a personal bond.
“Many people wanted to be friends with Fidel and couldn’t,” he noted. Recalling that, after leaving his post as head of government, he was often invited to his home.
One of Betto’s most moving anecdotes is the way the Cuban leader treated him: “I felt a mixture of son and older brother in him.”
This phrase encapsulates the human warmth of a leader. On several occasions, abandoned protocol to show almost paternal affection.
When asked what message he would send to those who seek to tarnish the revolutionary’s legacy. Betto was emphatic: “Fidel outlived more than 20 CIA directors and more than 40 US presidents. They all tried to kill him, and he died in his bed, surrounded by his family.”
For him, Fidel Castro transcends the borders of Cuba and Latin America. “He has been the most expressive figure in Latin American and Caribbean politics throughout the 20th century. So the right wing will never be able to extinguish that.”
His statements, brief but precise, evoke the human being behind the myth. A man of deep affection, capable of building bridges where others saw chasms. And of maintaining morality and ethics until the very end.
At the end of the interview, when asked to define the Comandante in one word or phrase, Frei Betto said: “Fidel is more than a nation called Cuba, more than a continent. He is a man of solidarity, of the globalization of solidarity.”
With information from Prensa Latina
- Members of the Ministry of the Interior in Holguin Run for Fidel’s Centenary (+ Photos) - 13 de August de 2026
- Frei Betto: Fidel is more than Cuba, he is a man of solidarity - 13 de August de 2026
- Cuba defends sovereign transformations in the face of global crisis - 12 de August de 2026