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The revolutionary Government's position on religion has changed over the years. Though some contend that it still does not tolerate religious worship, for better or for worse, today it certainly does. Visitors to Havana are sure to notice a large, well-lit statue of Jesus looking down upon the city. Seeing this brings into question the level of government restriction on religious expression. For most of the Revolution, Cuba was officially an atheist state. Cuba remained an atheist state for around 30 years, and persecuted some religious peopel. The Constitution of 1976 wrote this into law, but it eventually changed. Now, Cuba's constitution guarantees religious freedom. The Government now declares itself to be secular rather than atheist. This year, the Pope visited Cuba. He was allowed to give speeches and hold a mass in front of as many people as were present. There are many churches and large cathedrals in Cuba. We experienced a large religious gathering one night that was going on very publicly. In October of 1991, the Communist Party decided to allow religious people to join. Since then, religion has been tolerated. Today there seems to be little religious persecution. |
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