International
Religious Freedom Report 2004
CUBA
Released
by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights,
and Labor. September 15, 2004.
Section
I. Religious Demography
Section II. Status of Religious
Freedom
Section III. Societal Attitudes
Section IV. U.S. Government
Policy
The Constitution recognizes the right of
citizens to profess and practice any religious
belief within the framework of respect for
the law; however, in law and in practice,
the Government places restrictions on freedom
of religion.
There was no change in the status of respect
for religious freedom during the period
covered by this report. Overall human rights
conditions remained poor in the wake of
the Government's jailing of 75 human rights
activists and independent journalists in
2003, the biggest such crackdown in more
than two decades. In general, unregistered
religious groups continued to experience
varying degrees of official interference,
harassment, and repression. Some unregistered
religious groups were subject to official
censure, and also faced pressures from registered
religious groups. The Government's policy
of permitting apolitical religious activity
to take place in government-approved sites
remained unchanged. However, citizens worshipping
in officially sanctioned churches often
were subject to surveillance by state security
forces, and the Government's efforts to
maintain a strong degree of control over
religion continued.
There were some tensions among religions,
often because some religious groups perceived
others to be too close to the Government.
Tension within the Pentecostal movement
continued to increase due to the establishment
of house churches, which some churches believed
was divisive.
The U.S. Government has raised issues of
human rights, including religious discrimination
and harassment, with Government officials;
however, the Government has dismissed these
concerns. The U.S. Government continues
to urge international pressure on the Government
to cease its repressive practices. The U.S.
Interests Section in Havana continues to
maintain regular contact with various religious
leaders.
Section I. Religious
Demography
The country has an area of 68,888 square
miles, and its population is approximately
11 million. There is no independent authoritative
source on the size or composition of religious
institutions and their membership. A 1953
survey indicated that 93 percent of the
population identified themselves as Roman
Catholic. According to more recent information
from the U.S.-based Puebla Institute, approximately
40 to 45 percent of the population was believed
to identify themselves, at least nominally,
with the Roman Catholic Church. A significant
number of citizens share or have participated
in syncretistic Afro-Caribbean beliefs,
such as Santeria. Some sources estimate
that as much as 70 percent of the population
practice Santeria or la regla lucumi, which
have their roots in West African traditional
religions.
The Baptists, represented in four different
conventions, are possibly the largest Protestant
denomination, followed closely by the Pentecostal
churches, particularly the Assemblies of
God. Twenty-two denominations, including
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Methodists,
are members of the Cuban Council of Churches
(CCC). Most CCC members are officially recognized
by the State, though several, including
the Evangelical Lutheran Church, are not
registered and are recognized only through
their membership in the CCC. Another 31
officially recognized denominations, including
members of Jehovah's Witnesses and the small
Jewish community, do not belong to the CCC.
Although much of the population is nominally
Roman Catholic, historically the country
has been a largely secular society without
an especially strong religious character.
Catholic Church officials usually estimate
that approximately 10 percent of baptized
Catholics attend Mass regularly. Membership
in Protestant churches is estimated at 500,000
persons. No figures on the number of Pentecostals
are available. The Seventh-day Adventists
claim about 30,000 persons. Prior to 2001,
church attendance had grown in some denominations,
and increased substantially at Catholic
Church services following the Pope's visit
in 1998. For at least 6 to 8 months after
the Pope's visit, attendance was at unusually
high levels. It has since stabilized at
levels lower than the 1999 peak, but they
remain higher than before the visit.
There are approximately 320 Catholic priests,
40 permanent deacons, and 650 nuns in the
country, less than half the total prior
to 1960. Overall numbers of church officials
are only slightly higher than before the
Papal visit, since most new arrivals replaced
retiring priests or those whose time of
service in the country had ended.
Foreign missionary groups operate in the
country through registered churches.
Section II. Status of
Religious Freedom
Legal/Policy Framework
The Constitution recognizes the right of
citizens to profess and practice any religious
belief within the framework of respect for
the law; however, in law and in practice,
the Government places restrictions on freedom
of religion. The Constitution has provided
for the separation of church and state since
the early 20th century. In 1992, the Constitution
was changed, and references to scientific
materialism or atheism were removed. The
Government does not favor any particular
religion or church; however, the Government
appears to be most tolerant of those churches
that maintain close relations with the State
through the CCC.
The Government requires churches and other
religious groups to register with the provincial
Registry of Associations within the Ministry
of Justice to obtain official recognition.
Registration procedures require groups to
identify where they will carry out their
activities, demonstrate that they have the
funding for these activities, and obtain
certification from the Registry of Associations
that they are not duplicating the activities
of a previously registered organization.
Although no new denominations were registered
during the period covered by this report,
the Government has tolerated some new religions,
such as the Baha'i faith and a small congregation
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (Mormons). However, in practice the
Government appears to have halted registration
of new denominations, although no groups
were known to have applied for and been
denied registration during the period covered
by this report.
Registration allows church officials to
obtain official permission to travel abroad
and receive foreign visitors, to receive
importedreligious literature through the
CCC, and to meet in officially recognized
places of worship. Conversely, members of
unregistered religious groups must request
exit permits on an individual basis, obtain
religious materials through extra-legal
means, and risk closure of their technically
illegal meeting places.
Along with recognized churches, the Roman
Catholic humanitarian organization Caritas,
the Masons, human rights groups, and a number
of nascent fraternal or professional organizations
are the only associations outside the control
or influence of the State, the Communist
Party, and their mass organizations. The
authorities continued to ignore other religious
groups' applications for legal recognition,
thereby subjecting members of such groups
to potential charges of illegal association,though
no such charges had been filed by the end
of the period covered by this report.
The Government's main interaction with
religious denominations is through the Office
of Religious Affairs of the Cuban Communist
Party. The Ministry of Interior still engages
in efforts to control and monitor the country's
religious institutions, including surveillance,
infiltration, and harassment of religious
professionals and laypersons. In January
an independent journalist interviewed a
former Ministry of the Interior official
who reported widespread government infiltration
of civil and religious organizations. The
former official reported that Afro-Caribbean
religious groups were even more heavily
targeted for infiltration than political
opposition organizations. This is because
some estimates state that 70 percent of
the population practices these religions
in some form, and therefore these groups
are seen as a more grassroots "threat"
to the Government.
The Government has relaxed restrictions
on most officially recognized religious
denominations. Members of Jehovah's Witnesses,
once considered "active religious enemies
of the revolution," are allowed to
proselytize quietly door-to-door and generally
are not subject to overt government harassment,
although there continued to be sporadic
reports of harassment by local Communist
Party and government officials. The Government
has authorized small assemblies of Jehovah's
Witnesses and one large gathering of as
many as 7,000 persons in March 2003. It
has also allowed the opening of a central
office in Havana, and publication of the
group's magazine and other religious literature.
Religious literature and materials must
be imported through a registered religious
group and can only be distributed to officially
recognized religious groups. The CCC controls
distribution of Bibles to its members and
to other officially recognized denominations.
The CCC reports that it has distributed
1.5 million Bibles since 1998. Bibles are
distributed among denominations according
to the number of members of each church.
Several Catholic diocese and lay groups
publish magazines, including "Palabra
Nueva" (New Word) of the Archdiocese
of Havana and "Vitral" (Stained
Glass Window) of the Diocese of Pinar del
Rio. The publications are not registered
with the Ministry of Culture, as required
by law. The Government has not blocked printing
or distribution of Catholic magazines; however,
the State impedes access to printing equipment
by making equipment too costly or placing
restrictions on sales. The Governmenthas
accused the editor of one religious magazine
of subversive behavior for writing about
sensitive political and social issues.
Since 1992 the Communist Party has admitted
as members persons who openly declare their
religious faith.
The Government does not permit religious
education in public schools and does not
permit the operation of private schools
of any kind, including religious schools.
During the period covered by this report,
the Government allowed 9 foreign priests
and 18 foreign nuns into the country to
replace priests and nuns whose residence
permits had expired; however, the applications
of 60 additional priests and 130 additional
nuns remained pending. The Conference of
Catholic Bishops estimates that some applications
have been pending for two to three years,
and some names are eventually dropped from
the list altogether. A request from the
Conference of Catholic Bishops for the Government
to permit 15 Catholic orders to establish
a presence was also pending at the end of
the period covered by this report, which
the bishops argue limits the training of
Catholic seminarians.
In September 2003, the Office of Religious
Affairs of the Communist Party advised Pablo
Fuentes, a Spanish-national Catholic Priest
in Havana Province, that the Government
would not extend his authorization to remain
in the country. Fr. Fuentes left the country
on September 30, 2003. Earlier in 2003,
authorities revoked authorization for Fuentes
to hold a procession marking the feast day
of the patron saint of the town of Managua
because Fuentes was "politically unreliable,"
apparently because his religious activities
were too visible, and therefore were considered
controversial by the Government.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
The Marxist-Leninist ideology of the Government
led to strong confrontations with institutional
churches in the early 1960s. During that
period, many church leaders and religious
professionals, fearing persecution, left
the country. More than 130 Catholic religious
workers, including priests, were expelled,
and a few served long prison terms. From
1965-67 the Government forced many priests,
pastors, and others "who made religion
a way of life" into forced labor camps
called Military Units to Aid Production
(UMAPS), alongside homosexuals, vagrants,
and others considered by the regime to be
"social scum." The UMAP system
ended in 1967; however, over the following
30 years, the Government and the Communist
Party systematically discriminated against
and marginalized persons who openly professed
their faith by excluding them from certain
jobs, such as teaching. Although the Government
abandoned its official atheism in the early
1990s, most churches had been weakened seriously,
and active participation in religious services
fell drastically.
A 2002 Ministry of the Armed Forces political
indoctrination manual describes the Catholic
Church as "a decisive instrument for
the defense of the colonial and neocolonial
regimes that governed our country until
the 1959 [revolution]. It is this historical
fact which created the conditions for anticlerical
sentiment in broad sectors of our society."
The same document states that the Catholic
Church has resigned itself to the "triumph
of the Revolution" and is now focused
on using pastoral work and humanitarian
assistance to gain new adherents.
In February 2003, the Archbishop of Havana
issued a pastoral letter lamenting the disintegration
of Cuban families and the extreme pressure
to emigrate, and called upon the Government
to shift from "policies of vengeance"
to "policies of compassion."
In March 2003, the Cuban Conference of
Catholic Bishops issued an open letter in
the Italian magazine "30 Giorni"
criticizing the Office of Religious Affairs
of the Cuban Communist Party for strict
controls over the activities of the Catholic
Church, especially restrictions on religious
education and Church access to the mass
media. In September 2003, the Conference
of Catholic Bishops issued a document accusing
the Government of imposing tighter restrictions
on the Church and on society since the visit
of Pope John Paul II, and calling on the
Government to show clemency toward political
prisoners.
Government officials criticized the Catholic
Church for refusing to register Church and
lay group publications with the Ministry
of Culture, as required by law of all publications.
The Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops
indicated that the Church declines to register
because registration would force it to concede
control to the State regarding the content
and format of Church publications.
The law allows for the construction of
new churches once the required permits are
obtained; however, the Government rarely
has authorized construction permits, forcing
many churches to seek permits to meet in
private homes. Most registered religious
groups are granted permission to hold services
in private homes. Religious groups must
also obtain a permit if they wish to reconstruct
and repair existing places of worship. The
process of obtaining a permit and purchasing
construction materials from government outlets
is lengthy and expensive. In January 2004,
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
and Fidel Castro presided over the consecration
in Havana of a church for the small Greek
Orthodox community, an event that the government
media cast as evidence of the Government's
religious tolerance. A Government website
used a news report covering Patriarch Bartholomew's
visit as "proof" that Amnesty
International's criticism of religious restrictions
was a "lie."
In 2001 the Italian news agency ANSA reported
that provincial leaders of the Communist
Party requested the authorities to ensure
that the charitable work and donations provided
by religious groups be limited. The party
officials apparently believed that churches,
especially the Catholic Church, had gained
community support, which threatened the
continued rule of the Communist Party through
such activities. Following the publication
of the article, Communist Party leaders
in Havana reportedly apologized to the Catholic
Church hierarchy.
Following complaints in 2000 by Pentecostals
regarding unauthorized foreign missionaries
(see Section III), the CCC has continued
to request that overseas member church organizations
assist them in controlling foreign missionaries
and prohibiting them from establishing unauthorized
Pentecostal churches. In May 2004, Reineiro
Arce, the influential former president of
the CCC, claimed that up to 70 foreign religious
groups had established themselves in recent
years by "taking advantage of the difficult
economic situation and giving a pastor up
to $100 a month." He claimed these
new groups are part of a U.S. Government
strategy to subvert the Government, and
that the groups are not churches, but "sects
and groups that come to destroy the work
of the church."
Religious officials are allowed to visit
prisoners; however, prison officials sometimes
refuse visits to certain political prisoners.
In September 2003, officials at Kilo 8 Prison
in Camaguey Province threatened to suspend
family visits for nine political prisoners
who read aloud to each other from the Bible.
For a religious visit to take place, the
prisoner must submit a written request,
and the prison director must grant approval.
Some prisoners reported that prison officials
ignored repeated written requests for religious
visits. In punishment cells, prisoners were
denied access to reading materials, including
Bibles.
The Government continued to enforce a regulation
that prevents any Cuban or joint enterprise
(except those with specific authorization)
from selling computers, facsimile machines,
photocopiers, or other equipment to any
church at other than the official--and exorbitant--retail
price. In addition the Government denies
access to the Internet to some religious
groups, including the Catholic Church, which
it deems unreliable. The Government controls
the Internet and any group seeking legal
access is subject to its controls. The Catholic
Church has asked the Government for the
past five years for permission to have Internet
access; however, permission is always denied.
Members of the armed forces do not attend
religious services in uniform, probably
to avoid possible reprimand by superiors.
Education is secular, and no religious
educational institutions are allowed. Religious
instruction in public schools is not permitted.
In the past, students who professed a belief
in religion were stigmatized by other students
and teachers and were disciplined formally
for wearing crucifixes or for bringing Bibles
or other religious materials to school.
In some cases, these students were prohibited
from attending institutions of higher learning
or from studying specific fields; however,
recently students who profess a belief in
religion have been permitted to attend institutions
of higher education.
Churches provide religious education classes
to their members. Catholic Church officials
report that the number of children attending
catechism classes has continued to drop,
mostly because of other activities, usually
scheduled by local school authorities. There
have been no reports of parents being restricted
from teaching religion to their children.
Church officials have encountered cases
of religious persons experiencing discrimination
because of ignorance or personal prejudice
by a local official. Religious persons encounter
employment problems in certain professions,
such as education.
Religious groups are required to submit
a request to the local ruling official of
the Communist Party before being allowed
to hold processions or events outside of
religious buildings. In July 2003, Communist
Party officials in the city of East Havana
barred a procession for the feast day of
the Virgin of Carmen because the parish
priest was a friend of Christian Liberation
Movement leader Oswaldo Paya. Communist
Party officials told the priest that he
should inform his congregation that the
Government had barred the procession specifically
because of his friendship with Paya.
In September 2003, the Government permitted
for the sixth consecutive year a procession
in connection with Masses in celebration
of the feast day of Our Lady of Charity
in Havana. A number of religious and otheractivists
participated in the procession. The authorities
permitted a total of 50 processions nationwide
to mark the feast day of Our Lady of Charity,
but denied permission to 14 others because
the latter were more politically and socially
vocal, and therefore were not in line with
government policy.
There were smaller, local processions throughout
the provinces during the period covered
by this report. For example, the Government
permitted a May 2004 procession in the town
of Managua which drew hundreds of participants.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
The Government monitors all religious groups,
including registered and established institutions.
The authorities also monitor church-run
publications. Government harassment of private
houses of worship continued, with evangelical
denominations reporting evictions from houses
used for worship. According to CCC officials,
most of the private houses of worship closed
were unregistered, making them technically
illegal.
The Ministry of the Interior continues
to engage in efforts to control and monitor
religious activities, and to use surveillance,
infiltration, and harassment against religious
groups and religious professionals and lay
persons. There were continued sporadic reports
that local Communist Party and government
officials harassed members of Jehovah's
Witnesses; however, church officials reported
that the number of such incidents decreased.
State security officials visited some priests
and pastors prior to significant religious
events, ostensibly to warn them that dissidents
were trying to "use the church";
however, some critics claimed that these
visits were conducted to foster mistrust
between the churches and human rights or
pro-democracy activists. During the period
covered by this report, State security agents
warned the wives of several political prisoners
that they would be arrested if they joined
other wives of political prisoners for Mass
at Havana's Santa Rita Catholic Church.
Ministry of the Interior officers reportedly
sat near spouses of political prisoners
during Mass to intimidate them. Some of
the wives continued to attend Mass together
on a weekly basis, but said they feared
government retaliation against them or against
their jailed husbands. In many churches,
most noticeably at Santa Rita's, the Conference
of Catholic Bishops estimates that the number
of State Security Agents attending Mass
for the purpose of intimidating spouses
of political prisoners has been growing.
There are also reports of prison officials
changing the dates and times that wives
may telephone their spouses to Sunday morning,
thereby forcing the spouses to choose between
speaking with their spouses or attending
Mass.
In June 2004, the Government prohibited
La Pastora Catholic Church in Santa Clara
from distributing donated medicine and soap.
Government officials advised the church
that such activities are not authorized
and resulted in illegal public gatherings.
In 2000 a leading editor of one of the
Catholic Church's magazines was criticized
in a major editorial of the Communist Party's
newspaper as a "known counter-revolutionary."
In April 2003, the Government described
the same Catholic Church magazine as "subversive
literature" during the summary trials
of 75 political prisoners arrested in March
2003.
There were no reports of religious prisoners
or detainees.
Forced Religious Conversion
There were no reports of forced religious
conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens
who had been abducted or illegally removed
from the United States, or of the refusal
to allow such citizens to be returned to
the United States.
Abuses By Terrorist Organizations
There were no reported abuses targeted
at specific religions by terrorist organizations
during the period covered by this report.
Section III. Societal
Attitudes
Most persons who identify themselves as
religious define themselves as Roman Catholic,
although few attend Mass regularly. Catholicism
has remained a major cultural reference
since colonial times. After 40 years of
the current regime, societal attitudes,
including those toward religion, are conditioned
heavily by the attitude of Fidel Castro
and other government and ruling party leaders.
The Government's decision to allow, and
even provide some support for, the 1998
Papal visit greatly boosted the public perception
that espousing religious faith was again
acceptable. Fidel Castro further cemented
this view, most importantly among Communist
Party adherents and government officials,
in nationally televised and broadcast speeches
in which he claimed disingenuouslythat the
Cuban Revolution had "never" persecuted
religious believers.
There were some tensions among religions,
often because some religious groups perceived
others to be too close to the Government.
Tension within the Pentecostal movement
continued to increase due to the establishment
of house churches, which some churches believed
was divisive, and resulted in Government
action against Pentecostal worshippers.
In addition, Pentecostal members of the
CCC have complained that the preaching activities
of unauthorized foreign missionaries have
led some of the members of their churches
to establish new denominations without obtaining
the required permits (see Section II).
The CCC is the only ecumenical body that
is recognized by the Government. It comprises
many Protestant, including Pentecostal,
denominations and engages in dialogue with
the Catholic Church and the Jewish community.
The CCC and the Government generally have
a mutually supportive relationship.
Section IV. U.S. Government
Policy
U.S. Government policy is to promote a
rapid, peaceful transition to democracy
and respect for human rights, including
religious freedom, and the U.S. Government
encourages the development of civil society,
which includes the strengthening of religious
institutions. The U.S. Interests Section
in Havana maintains regular contact with
the various religious leaders and communities,
and supports nongovernmental organization
initiatives that aid religious groups. The
U.S. Government regularly seeks to facilitate
travel to and from the country by religious
persons, and delivery of donated goods and
materials that in some cases are provided
to religious institutions. The U.S. Interests
Section has raised issues of human rights,
including religious discrimination and harassment,
with government officials; however, the
Government has dismissed these concerns.
The Interests Section reports on cases of
religious discrimination and harassment,
and the U.S. Government continues to urge
international pressure on the Government
to cease its repressive practices.
Released on September 15, 2004
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