Pope Francis in Cuba

Pope Francis in Cuba

Pope Francis in Cuba
October 2, 2015
Prior to his visit to the United States, Pope Francis traveled to Cuba from September 19-22, 2015. This
was the third papal visit to Cuba, following those by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Benedict XVI in
2012. During his time in Cuba, Pope Francis visited three Cuban cities. In both Havana and Holguín, he
celebrated masses in the Plaza of the Revolution, and in Santiago, he celebrated mass at the Basilica of
Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba’s patron saint. Pope Francis’s visit appeared to be largely pastoral,
aimed at reinvigorating the Church in Cuba, but it also highlighted the increasing role of the Church in
Cuban society in recent years.
The Cuban Catholic Church
Historically, the Cuban Catholic Church has been weak compared to the Church in other Latin American
countries, with few active participants. During the early years of the Cuban Revolution, state-church
relations deteriorated significantly. The regime expelled many foreign priests and nationalized all Catholic
schools. Cuba became an atheist state, with the government actively discouraging the population from
church participation. The Cuban government’s repression of religious freedom eased considerably
beginning in the 1980s, influenced in part by the changing role of the Catholic Church in Latin America
and the influence of liberation theology and its focus on the poor. In 1991, Cuba’s Communist Party
allowed religious observers to obtain party membership, and in 1992, it enacted constitutional reforms
banning religious discrimination and establishing Cuba as a lay or secular state, rather than an atheist
state.
The Cuban Catholic Church became more active in the early 1990s. Cuban bishops issued a pastoral letter
in 1993 strongly criticizing the government’s human rights record. In 1994, Pope John Paul II elevated
the Archbishop of Havana, Jaime Ortega, to the position of cardinal. Ortega has been widely commended
for reinvigorating the Church in Cuba, including the expansion of the role of Caritas Cubana, the
Church’s social assistance agency. The Cuban Catholic Church became active in broadening the debate on
social and economic issues in Cuba through its online publications.
The Church has also played an important role on human rights issues, including the release of some 125
political prisoners in 2010-2011. Cuban bishops issued a pastoral letter in 2013 maintaining that just as
economic changes were occurring in Cuba, the country’s political order needed to be updated with respect
for diversity of thought. Some Cuban political dissidents, however, have criticized the Church for not
more forcefully confronting the Cuban government, and some critics of Cardinal Ortega view him as
being too conciliatory to the Cuban government.
Today, while the Church in Cuba still faces government restrictions, it is involved in many social services,
including soup kitchens, services for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, after-school programs,
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

Congressional Research Service
2
music groups, job training, and even college coursework. Two Catholic seminaries also operate in Cuba,
including a new one that opened in 2011.
Pope Francis’s Emphasis on Service and Reconciliation
Just ahead of Pope Francis’s visit to Cuba, the Cuban government announced that it would release 3,522
prisoners, which included prisoners older than 60, those younger than 20 with no prior record, inmates
with chronic health conditions, and women—the list did not include political prisoners. During Pope
Francis’s visit to Cuba, between 100 and 150 dissidents were reportedly prevented from attending papal
events, and dozens more were ordered to stay home, according to the Cuban Commission for Human
Rights and National Reconciliation. Three dissidents were forcibly detained after calling out for freedom
and dispersing pamphlets after one of them had approached the pope and received his blessing. Some
dissidents expressed frustration that the pope did not speak out about victims of government repression.
During his four-day visit, Pope Francis repeatedly emphasized two pastoral themes—service and
reconciliation. In his sermon in Havana, Pope Francis spoke of the need for service to those who are
vulnerable. He said: “Serving others chiefly means caring for their vulnerability. Caring for the vulnerable
of our families, our society, our people.” The pope said that caring for others does not mean being servile,
but rather means putting “our brothers and sisters at the center.” In a phrase that some observers believe
was aimed at Cuba’s communist rulers, the pope contended that “service is never ideological, for we do
not serve ideas, we serve people.” In his sermon at the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity, Pope Francis said
that “our faith calls us out of our house, to visit the sick, the prisoner, and those who mourn.”
Pope Francis touched on reconciliation throughout his trip to Cuba. In his sermon in Holguín, the pope
recounted the conversion of Matthew, maintaining that Jesus “invites us slowly to overcome our
preconceptions and our reluctance to think that others, much less ourselves, can change,” and poses
questions such as “Do you believe it is possible that a traitor can become a friend?” In an encounter with
youth at a Catholic cultural center, Pope Francis encouraged them not to be limited by ideologies or
preconceptions about others. He asked the crowd to open their hearts and minds to others: “If you are
different than me, why don't we talk? Why do we always throw rocks at that which separates us?”
The theme of reconciliation was also illustrated by Pope Francis’s praise for the rapprochement in U.S.-
Cuban relations. Upon his arrival in Cuba, Pope Francis said that the process of detente between Cuba
and the United States was “a sign of the victory of the culture of encounter and dialogue.” In 2014, Pope
Francis had played a role in facilitating the improvement in relations by writing letters to President
Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro (personally delivered by Cardinal Ortega) that called for the two
leaders to resolve issues and advance bilateral relations. Even though the Vatican has long opposed the
U.S. embargo on Cuba, Pope Francis did not publicly raise the issue directly during his visit to the United
States. Instead, during his address to Congress, he recognized efforts by countries “to overcome historic
differences linked to painful episodes of the past,” and noted his “duty to build bridges and to help all
men and women, in any way possible, to do the same.”

Congressional Research Service
3

Author Information

Mark P. Sullivan

Specialist in Latin American Affairs

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.
CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United
States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However,
as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the
permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

IN10369 · VERSION 3 · NEW