Saying that Cuban Americans are getting increasingly ``confused'' about their roles against Fidel Castro's dictatorship, a group of exile organizations Tuesday asked for a gut check from the community by calling a Dec. 6 march along Calle Ocho.

The march, according to the Commission of Patriotic Reaffirmation, will give the community an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to a free Cuba without compromising its principles.

The commission, made up of several anti-Castro organizations, rejects any type of accommodation with the Communist government, including a cruise being set up by the Archdiocese of Miami for the papal visit to the island Jan. 21-25.

``We would hate to see the visit of our pope portrayed as a perception of normalcy inside the island in a way that would damage the hope of our people,'' said Luisa Garcia Toledo, president of the National Association of Cuban American Women, a member of the umbrella Cumbre Patriotica.

``We respect the Church in religious matters, but there is the political angle and the way Castro will manage this,'' said Garcia Toledo, a former political prisoner who is active in The Church of the Little Flower parish in Coral Gables.

The march, which will begin at 1 p.m., will start at the Monument to the Heroes of Playa Giron on Southwest Eighth Street and will end at Jose Marti Park at Southwest Fourth Street.

Organizers say the march will serve as a platform to express solidarity with Cubans on the island working toward a free and democratic society. They are being confronted with a new wave of repression, commission members say. They plan to speak vigorously against what they call the institutionalization of violation of human rights in Cuba.

Sylvia Iriondo recounted her trip to Venezuela with seven other exiles from other organizations to solicit support from 21 Latin and European leaders attending a recent summit meeting on Margarita Island.

Their message found ``some reception'' during a protest at the local university after reports that Castro, who was at the summit, was going to be the recipient of several honors.

Their pleas, Iriondo said, were particularly on behalf of students on the island who, she said, are being persecuted.

``Ninety percent of Castro's prisons are filled with young people,'' said Iriondo of Mothers Against Repression. ``We wanted to speak on behalf of those who couldn't speak for themselves. The voice of the Cuban opposition was heard.''

Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald