Cuban Catholics remember Fidel, the avowed atheist who first kicked out the Church, then eventually made peace with it before his death

Record ID: 77366

  • Title: Cuban Catholics remember Fidel, the avowed atheist who first kicked out the Church, then eventually made peace with it before his death
  • Date: 27th November 2016
  • Summary: ALTAR BOYS ENTERING MASS, HOLDING CROSS IN CHURCH SHADOW ALTAR BOYS WALKING IN CHURCH
  • Embargoed: 12th December 2016 21:14
  • Keywords: Cuba Fidel Castro death Catholics
  • Location: HAVANA, CUBA
  • City: HAVANA, CUBA
  • Country: Cuba
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0045A7ZBK7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: It was a commemoration that would have been unthinkable at the outset of the Cuban revolution - Havana church pews being filled with the Catholic faithful mourning the death of Fidel Castro.
    But so it went after the Cuban leader passed away on Friday, some two decades after Cuba reformed its constitution, changing the state from atheist to secular and guaranteeing freedom of religion. The Archbishop of Havana, Juan de la Caridad Garcia, presided over mass.
    Although Fidel and Raul Castro were baptised as Roman Catholics and educated by Jesuits, they declared Cuba an atheist state after the Cuban Revolution, chasing out priests and shutting down religious schools.
    And when Fidel Castro softened his stance on the Church in 1992, the influence of longtime Archbishop of Havana Jaime Ortega grew. As head of the Archdiocese of Havana for 35 years, he became a key figure as church-state relations evolved. He was, among other things, also a key mediator in rapprochement between Washington and Havana, with the support of the Vatican. Ortega retired earlier this year, standing aside for the 68-year old Caridad Garcia, who was previously the Archbishop of Camaguey.
    After 18 months of secret negotiations, Cuba and the United States restored their relations in July 2015 after more than half a century of hostility.
    Castro, who was an icon of the Cold War on the doorstep of the United States and defied half a century of U.S. efforts to topple him, died late on Friday at the age of 90.
    The Cuban government has declared a nine-day period of mourning and suspended alcohol sales and even baseball games.
    Cubans attending Sunday mass at the Havana Cathedral were will into their grieving.
    "I cried because apart from being Cuban, I was born in Santiago, I grew up in Havana, but everyone is feeling this because it was like he was father to the whole world," said Cuban Victor Soto.
    The cause of Castro's death was not made public but he had been in poor health since he nearly died of an intestinal illness in 2006. He formally ceded power to his younger brother, Raul, in 2008 after ruling for nearly half a century.
    Admirers of Fidel Castro and his legacy point to social achievements since his 1959 revolution such as free healthcare and education, but critics have long condemned a lack of political freedom on the island.
    The death is sure to touch all Cubans.
    "And it was a blow, a very hard blow, for everyone, the whole nation, and I am referring not just to those who loved him, but it's tough for even those who didn't support him. I think this is affecting everyone in one way or another. This was something that had to happen because he was 90 years old, but well, you never hope for this from someone you appreciate, not just for what he did, but for the way he was," said Cuban citizen, Niurka Vargas.
    The streets of Havana have been calm since Castro's death, with people expressing national pride by hanging more Cuban flags than normal.
    State television broadcast non-stop tributes to Castro's accomplishments, as well as excerpts of his speeches, and announced plans to fire gun salutes in his honour.
    Castro was cremated on Saturday and the ashes will be carried in a caravan next week to a final resting place in Santiago de Cuba, the city in eastern Cuba where he first launched his revolution in the 1950s. His funeral will take place on December 4.
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