Policy & Advocacy

Backgrounder on Cuba, February 2012

Topic
Office/Committee
Year Published
  • 2012
Language
  • English

Backgrounder on Cuba, February 2012

The Government of Cuban President Raul Castro and the USCCB Response

Reforms under President Raul Castro

  • New measures allow Cubans greater latitude to own property, run small businesses, and access credit.
  • Dialogue with Cardinal Jaime Ortega led to the release of most political prisoners, many of whom relocated to Spain or other countries; those who remained have largely stayed incarcerated.
  • In November 2010, Cuba permitted construction of Saint Charles and Saint Ambrose Seminary—the first new religious institution in over 50 years—and allowed a Havana business school affiliated with a Spanish university, though formal religious education remains restricted.

Situation of the Catholic Church in Cuba

  • The government continues to limit Church freedom in education, mass communications, and the admission of foreign pastoral agents.
  • Despite constraints, the Church runs social assistance projects aiding sick, elderly, and disabled Cubans, and carries out pastoral work where possible.
  • Preparations are underway for the fourth Centenary of Our Lady of Charity of Cuba in 2012, and Pope Benedict XVI announced a religious pilgrimage to Cuba in March 2012, which will include discussions with government officials.
 
U.S. Policy Towards Cuba
  • In 2009, President Obama eased travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans; in January 2011, his administration lifted purposeful-travel bans for all Americans, allowed economic assistance remittances, and opened U.S. airports to charter flights.
  • Congressional efforts to reinstate stricter pre-2009 requirements on travel, remittances, and agricultural sales have so far failed to pass.
  • The unaddressed December 2009 arrest of an American citizen in Cuba continues to strain normalization of trade and travel relations.

USCCB Position

The USCCB advocates dialogue and engagement over isolation, arguing that interaction with Cuba will better promote human rights, religious freedom, and democracy than the existing embargo.

  • The U.S. embargo has strengthened government control while weakening civil society.
  • Lifting travel bans and barriers to agricultural exports will create jobs for poor Cubans, increase food access, and limit Havana’s ability to blame U.S. policy for domestic hardships.
  • The Church in Cuba and many dissidents oppose the embargo; the USCCB stands in solidarity through episcopal visits and pastoral support.

USCCB urges Congress to:

  1. End all travel limitations on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens.
  2. Allow increased agricultural sales to Cuba.
  3. Resist efforts to reimpose burdensome travel and remittance requirements.
  4. Support an eventual end to the economically and morally counterproductive embargo.

2012-02CubaBackgrounder-final.pdf