1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Pope Francis in Cuba October 2, 2015 Prior to his visit to the United States, Pope Francis traveled to Cuba from September 19-22, 2015. This was the third papal visit to Cuba, following those by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Benedict X
2、VI in 2012. During his time in Cuba, Pope Francis visited three Cuban cities. In both Havana and Holgun, he celebrated masses in the Plaza of the Revolution, and in Santiago, he celebrated mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cubas patron saint. Pope Franciss visit appeared to be
3、 largely pastoral, aimed at reinvigorating the Church in Cuba, but it also highlighted the increasing role of the Church in Cuban society in recent years. The Cuban Catholic Church Historically, the Cuban Catholic Church has been weak compared to the Church in other Latin American countries, with fe
4、w active participants. During the early years of the Cuban Revolution, state-church relations deteriorated significantly. The regime expelled many foreign priests and nationalized all Catholic schools. Cuba became an atheist state, with the government actively discouraging the population from church
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