Catholic World News News Feature

Papal call to end Cuban embargo January 10, 2005

Pope John Paul II called for an end to the American embargo on Cuba when he met on January 8 with a new ambassador from that nation to the Holy See. At the same time, the Pope pressed the Castro government for greater respect for religious freedom.

As he accepted the diplomatic credentials of the new ambassador, Raul Roa Kouri, the Pope expressed his hope that "the obstacles preventing free communications and exchange between Cuba and a part of the international community" would be eliminated. Apparently referring to the American embargo, he said that the removal of these "obstacles" would allow "the conditions necessary for true peace." Pope John Paul had previously called for an end to the US embargo in January 1998, when he visited Cuba.

John Paul II also told the Cuban envoy that the Catholic Church needs "an atmosphere of true religious liberty" in order to pursue her mission there. He added that the government has no reason to fear the Church, since Catholic leaders seek only to advance the welfare of the Cuban people. He added that any conflicts between Church teaching and Cuban government ideology should be resolved through "broad-ranging, constructive dialogue."

The Cuban constitution establishes an officially atheistic and materialist regime, while still claiming to allow the free exercise of religion. In practice, religious activities are tightly controlled by government regulations. The Pope's visit to Cuba in 1998 brought a series of concessions on religious freedom, as well as the release of 300 political prisoners; the Vatican has continued to press for further government steps on human rights, especially religious liberties. In September 2003, the Cuban Catholic bishops charged that Castro's regime was moving backward, returning to the harsh ideological controls that immediately followed the revolution of 1959.