Religious history complicated in communist Cuba

There was a time when Cuba's religious foundation was much like the rest of its Latin American neighbors — a reliable bastion of Catholicism. Then came Fidel Castro.
While the constitution and government that Castro and his bearded rebels established after taking over the island in 1959 allowed for freedom of religion, that wasn't the case in practice. The Communist Party that has ruled the island ever since closed churches, nationalized properties owned by religious organizations and forced the faithful underground.
The sweep was so broad in the 1960s that Castro even closed down the Jesuit high school he and his brother attended, forcing the priests to pack up and move to Miami. It was one of over 400 Catholic schools closed throughout the nation.
But little by little, religion has made a comeback in recent years on the island of 11 million people. The government eased restrictions on open displays of religion. It allowed churches to reopen, ended long-standing bans on things like Christmas decorations and, last year, approved construction of the first new church since the revolution.
The Catholic Church has even become active in the political arena, serving as a mediator during disputes between the government and dissidents. Most notably, Pope Francis allowed the U.S. and Cuban governments to use the Vatican as a location for the meetings that led to December's announcement that the two countries would re-establish diplomatic relations.
The tight restrictions have led many religious leaders to bring people together inside homes instead of churches. The U.S. State Department estimates up to 10,000 such "house churches" exist.
The relationship between religious organizations and the Cuban government becomes even more complicated when politics are involved. For years, dissidents on the island have used churches as rallying points for demonstrations. The Ladies in White, a group of women whose husbands were incarcerated during a 2003 government roundup of dissidents, marches every Sunday to a church in Havana and constantly faces counter-protests or arrests by government officials.
The long, complicated history of religion in Cuba is best summed up by the U.S. State Department's latest International Religious Freedom Report.
"The government harassed outspoken religious leaders, prevented human rights activists from attending religious services, and in some cases employed violence to prevent activists from engaging in public political protests when exiting religious services," the report stated. "Most established religious groups, however, reported an increased ability of their members to meet, worship, travel abroad, recruit new members, and conduct charitable, educational and community service projects."