AMERICA/CUBA - The Cuban government "appreciates the role of the Church", said Mgr. Hernández

Friday, 21 August 2015

Havana (Agenzia Fides) - There are new relations between Church and state in Cuba: remarked His Exc. Mgr. Juan de Dios Hernández Ruiz, S.J., auxiliary Bishop of Havana in an interview with an international news agency on the issue of the preparations for the Pope's visit to Cuba. In the text of the interview, sent by the local Church to Fides, Mgr. Hernandez wanted to emphasize that "the Pope's visit happens in a moment in which the government of Cuba appreciates the role of the Catholic Church, and therefore dialogue is constructive". Adding: "There is dialogue, but we can always do more".
In order to illustrate these developments, the auxiliary Bishop mentioned the fact that the Cuban government has allowed to build new churches (see Fides 11/03/2015) and returned other property that had been expropriated in the early years after the triumph of the 1959 revolution to the Catholic Church.
Mgr. Hernandez also informed that Catholic nuns are now allowed to give assistance to patients in hospitals and more space is given to the Church to assist the elderly. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 21/08/2015)


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