Fidel Castro and Pope in 2012. |
state, chasing out priests and shutting down religious schools after seizing power in a 1959 revolution.
In their old age, however, they have brought the Church in
from the cold and are gracious and experienced hosts for regular papal
visits.
When
Pope Francis lands in Cuba on Sept. 19, he will be the third pontiff in a
row to visit the Communist-run island.
His three-night stay highlights the new relationship
between Church and state in Cuba and a marked softening of the Castros'
stance toward the religion they grew up with and then fought.
In return, the Church has become less confrontational and
it played a major role in securing last year's rapprochement between
Cuba and the United States.
Raul Castro, 84 and his brother's successor as president,
has gone even further, opening talks with Church leaders inside Cuba and
making concessions such as freeing dozens of political prisoners and
allowing religious processions.
The Church
has supported Castro's efforts to reform the Soviet-style command
economy and Pope Francis personally acted as mediator when Cuba and the
United States agreed to put aside their Cold War-era hostilities.
Raul Castro met Francis earlier this year in Rome and said he was impressed with his "wisdom and modesty."
"If the pope continues to talk as he does, sooner or later
I will start praying again and return to the Catholic Church, and I am
not kidding," Castro told reporters.
The comment raised eyebrows around the world and nowhere
more than in Cuba, where the Church responded with caution.
"I haven't heard that they have returned to the Church,
but people evolve quite a bit during their lives," said Dionisio Garcia,
the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba and president of the Cuban Bishops'
Conference.
He pointed to the fuller religious freedoms in Cuba.
"Things have improved for all religions. I believe the
state's mentality has changed. There is more tolerance at the moment for
religious practices. Not everything one would want, but it has changed
for the better," Garcia said.
SLOW CHANGE
Pope John Paul made a historic visit to Cuba, the first by
any pontiff, in 1998 and Pope Benedict followed in 2012. Both met with
the Castro brothers.
Those visits showcased and gave momentum to a slow and cautious
process of change in Cuba since the end of the Cold War.
While Cuba's government still harasses dissidents, it has released
many of the more high-profile peaceful opponents from long prison terms,
a process helped by the Church's nudging.The government has also sought to improve ties with moderate Cuban-Americans and more changes are expected now that it has renewed diplomatic relations with the United States after decades of hostility.
The Church is a clear beneficiary. Christmas became a
public holiday again in Cuba after Pope John Paul's visit and Easter
after Pope Benedict was here. Two new churches are being built, one in
Havana and one in the western province Pinar del Rio, for the first time
since 1959.
Despite their softer tone, many experts say the Castros are simply
practicing realpolitik rather than experiencing a spiritual awakening.
In 1959, a majority of the clergy in Cuba were Spanish and
deeply conservative so a rift was inevitable when Fidel Castro's rebels
overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista.
"Yes, the Castros have changed, but so has the Church, and that is why reconciliation is now possible," he said.
The Castros both claim that the lessons of Christ's life and socialism are compatible.
"If people call me Christian, not from the standpoint of
religion but from the standpoint of social vision, I declare that I am a
Christian," Fidel Castro said in an oral autobiography with journalist
Ignacio Ramonet, published in 2006 shortly before illness forced him to
hand over power to Raul.
Lopez Oliva said the Castros changed their stance to help
shore up support in the 1990s when the fall of the Soviet Union
triggered a deep economic crisis and political isolation. In 1991, the
Communist Party dropped its ban on believers in its ranks.
"The Church is the largest non-governmental organization
in Cuba and still has a significant following," he said. "They needed
the Church for legitimacy and as a mediator internationally and
domestically."
Source: Reuters
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