Revolution and religion: The relations between Church and State in contemporary Cuba

Authors

  • Marcos Antonio da Silva Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)
  • Guillermo Alfredo Johnson Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/csu.2016.52.1.02

Abstract

This paper discusses the relationship between the Catholic Church and the State in Cuba from the beginning of the revolutionary process (1959) to the present day. In this sense, it examines three key moments: the tension and distance in the context of the transition to socialism developed in the country; the reapproaching that culminated with the visit of Pope John Paul II in the 90s, still under the impact of the fall of the Soviet bloc and the international isolation faced by the country, and finally the more recent relationships, marked by the visit of the Pope, now emeritus, Benedict XVI and the affirmation of the Catholic Church as the main internal interlocutor with the Cuban government. Thus, this work demonstrates that the strained relations in the 60s were replaced by the establishment of stable relationships, a checkered normality, which enabled the emergence of the Catholic Church as a key actor in the current Cuban political context.

Keywords: Catholic Church, revolution, breakup, approach.

Author Biographies

Marcos Antonio da Silva, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)

Doutor em Integração da América Latina (PROLAM/USP). Professor de Ciência Política do curso de Ciências Sociais e do Mestrado em Sociologia da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD). Membro do Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre América Latina (LIAL/UFGD).

Guillermo Alfredo Johnson, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD)

Doutor em Sociologia Política pela Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). Professor de Ciência Política do curso de Ciências Sociais da Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados (UFGD), dos programas de Pós-Graduação em Geografia e Sociologia e Coordenador do Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Estudos sobre América Latina (LIAL/UFGD).

Downloads

Published

2016-02-10

Issue

Vol. 52 No. 1 (2016): January/April

Section

Seção Temática: Religião e ações sociais

License

I grant the journal Ciências Sociais Unisinos the first publication of my article, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license (which allows sharing of work, recognition of authorship and initial publication in this journal).

I confirm that my article is not being submitted to another publication and has not been published in its entirely on another journal. I take full responsibility for its originality and I will also claim responsibility for charges from claims by third parties concerning the authorship of the article.

I also agree that the manuscript will be submitted according to the journal’s publication rules described above.