Cuban Flag
The Republic of Cuba has allowed the construction of a Catholic Church. This is the first time Cuba allowed a church to be built within its borders since the revolution of 1959.
The new Catholic Church that the Communist Government has approved is scheduled to be built in Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city in the island. The demand for a new church building came in after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the old church. Up to now, Cuban Catholics were seen worshipping in mass on the streets.
Open Doors USA announced that around 57 percent of Cubans are Christian. However, many Cuban Christians have expressed a great deal of complaints regarding the Communist government’s constant infiltration and surveillance, Some explained that this is due to the growing influence of the Cuban Catholic church since the abdication of Fidel Castro and his brother Raul took over.
"Over the last two decades, the Catholic Church has come to occupy a unique space within Cuban society and has developed a growing dialogue with the Cuban state," reads a description of the event on Brookings' website. Others however have expressed more critical views regarding this recent move by the Cuban government. They stated that the overall atmosphere of the nation is still repressive.
Construction for the new church building will be privately funded in part via St. Lawrence Parish in Tampa, Florida, many of whose members are Cuban exiles and their offspring.
