Daily news brief from Catholic
World News for March 12, 2001.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Mar. 12, 01 (CWNews.com) - Archbishop Roberto
Gonzalez Nieves of the Puerto Rican Archdiocese of San Juan said today that the
Church in Cuba has been growing steadily among the youth, but said that the
Communist government is not giving her enough freedom to operate.
Archbishop Gonzalez, who recently visited Cuba, said that in 1989, during
his first visit to Cuba, "the churches were all empty, but at present the
churches are filled with Catholics, especially young people."
"The future of the Church in Cuba is in the young people who come each
day in greater numbers to the Catholic faith," said Archbishop Gonzalez;
but he said that "unfortunately, the state has not taken the steps
requested by the Pope during his 1998 visit to the island."
The archbishop said the Church in Cuba deserves access to the media, the
right to establish Catholic schools, and the possibility of increasing her
presence in the social field. "The Church in Cuba has been attracting the
youth just with the power of Jesus, because she is a very poor Church in terms
of means," said Archbishop Gonzalez. "Also very impressive is the
network of catechists who are attracting new people to the Church. Today you go
to a Catholic church and there is simply no room for the number of people
attending," he concluded.
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