Juan Nepomucino Goetz

Who is Juan Nepomucino Goetz?

Juan Nepomucino Goetz was a Austrian Catholic priest whose arrival in Cuba led to two extraordinary controversies.

Goetz became Professor of Philosophy and Morality at the Imperial and Royal University of Vienna, and then, desiring to travel, was appointed music chaplain of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo in Hispaniola. Later, as priest and rector, he moves to San Fernando de Monte Cristi, and then to the wealthy parish of Môle Saint-Nicolas in Haiti. There he witnessed the slave uprising and the occupation of his parish by the British. When Toussaint-Louverture drives out the British he rings the church bells and celebrates. But, all too soon! War flares up throughout the country, voodoo drums throb through the night, and white faces are none too popular. Deprived of alms and suffering from yellow fever, Goetz flees to Santiago de Cuba, where his knowledge of languages gives him a place as the 'foreigners' priest.