About the Catholic Church in Cuba:
The Catholic Church has a long history in Cuba, dating back to the early 1500’s with Spanish colonization (Christopher Columbus planted a cross there in 1492). Relations with the U.S. remained strong through the first half of the 20th century. In addition to the U.S. naval base at Guantanimo Bay, baseball fans may remember the old “International League”; a minor baseball league including Toronto, Buffalo and the Havana Sugar Canes among others. The league still exist today, but in modified form….and without Havana.
Catholicism remains the largest religious denomination, with roughly 60% of the population identifying as Catholic (around 6-7 million people). Once Fidel Castro took power, he exiled the Archbishop and several hundred Spanish priests, and Catholics were discriminated against in employment and education. The 300,000 exiles who fled the country also lessened the number of Catholics, although the Church estimates that about 70% of the Cuban population today is Catholic.
Relations improved somewhat after Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998, and there are ongoing efforts for dialogue amid recent challenges. Cuba has three archdioceses (Havana, Camagüey, and Santiago de Cuba) and several dioceses, with about 11 cathedrals total and numerous parishes/churches across the island.
Some notable Catholic Shrines and Places of Interest in Cuba:
Baracoa: Sacred Cross of Parra (cross planted by Christopher Columbus in 1492) in Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
Camaguey: several churches in this beautiful city.
Cienfuegos: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. A beautiful neoclassical structure from the 1830s with twin bell towers.
Havana: Several Catholic places of interest.
Sandino: Sacred Heart of Jesus Church (first new church built since the Communist revolution).
Santiago de Cuba: Basilica of Our Lady of Charity (Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre): Cuba’s most important shrine and minor basilica. It’s dedicated to the patroness of Cuba (Our Lady of Charity), a revered Marian devotion blending Catholic and cultural elements.
Traveling to Cuba:
Long a bastion of Communism, the island nation has received visitors from countries throughout the world with one notable exception, and that is the United States. That has recently changed, however, and relaxed travel restrictions means that it is now possible for those who are U.S. citizens to travel here without the necessity of going to Canada or Mexico first, as had been the case in the past. There are still certain restrictions: you must be part of a cultural exchange group, but that is not a big obstacle since several private tour operators put such groups together with the express purpose of allowing U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba.
The U.S. embargo had been severely criticized by the Bishops of Cuba as being counter-productive and hurting the poor. Most recently there has been some relaxation of the restrictions on Catholics. Time will tell whether relaxation of these restrictions will improve the lot of the common people.
Certainly the news that Pope Benedict XVI visited the country in the spring of 2012 was an encouraging sign, and with Pope Francis having visited in 2015, we hope for better relations. Nonetheless, it is still a Communist dictatorship, with a poor human rights record, so we encourage visitors to be aware of that and conduct yourselves accordingly.