It seems like Cuba's once atheist communist government has now taken a close interest to religion, for the second year in a row, Cuba's Roman Catholic chief has read a Christmas message on national television. In a past broadcast, Cardinal Jaime Ortega showed his appreciation towards the lift of the ban governed by President Barack Obama allowing the Cubans living in America to be able to travel or send money to the Islands families.
The complete message was aired on Cuba's government controlled television. A spokesperson for Havana's Conference of Bishops, Orlando Marquez confirmed that the authorities had planned to show a Christmas concert that took place at the National Cathedral.
A retired mother Elisa Ramos was over the moon, she had not seen her son in 12 years and this would be the first time - she had mentioned that this was the best thing that happened to them.
Since the broadcast of Ortega, a small but growing list of signs has revealed that the governments association with the church seems to be improving.
In November 2008, thousands of faith believers gathered for the beatification of Friar Jose Olallo Valdes in the city of Camaguey. Amazingly, President Raul Castro also took part in this.
Raul Castro replaced his brothers' Fidel Castro's position as president in 2008. His first general meeting was with Pope Benedict XVI's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone during his trip to Cuba marking the 10th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit.
Religion in Cuba was affected in 1959, this was after Fidel Castro was designated as President of the Country. The government closed down religious institutions and expelled priests. However, changes were made in 1990 - all reference to "no religion" had been removed and people with different faiths were allowed to unite with the Communist Party. Later in the year, the condition changed when a visit from Pope John Paul II was made to Cuba. - 31819
The complete message was aired on Cuba's government controlled television. A spokesperson for Havana's Conference of Bishops, Orlando Marquez confirmed that the authorities had planned to show a Christmas concert that took place at the National Cathedral.
A retired mother Elisa Ramos was over the moon, she had not seen her son in 12 years and this would be the first time - she had mentioned that this was the best thing that happened to them.
Since the broadcast of Ortega, a small but growing list of signs has revealed that the governments association with the church seems to be improving.
In November 2008, thousands of faith believers gathered for the beatification of Friar Jose Olallo Valdes in the city of Camaguey. Amazingly, President Raul Castro also took part in this.
Raul Castro replaced his brothers' Fidel Castro's position as president in 2008. His first general meeting was with Pope Benedict XVI's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone during his trip to Cuba marking the 10th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit.
Religion in Cuba was affected in 1959, this was after Fidel Castro was designated as President of the Country. The government closed down religious institutions and expelled priests. However, changes were made in 1990 - all reference to "no religion" had been removed and people with different faiths were allowed to unite with the Communist Party. Later in the year, the condition changed when a visit from Pope John Paul II was made to Cuba. - 31819
About the Author:
Learn more about Cuba. Stop by Aaron Maurette's site where you can find out all about holidays in Cuba and how to make the most of it.
