“Although we have not regained the right to attend Catholic schools or universities, the options for association and education have grown almost explosively,” he said.
He also pointed out that lay leaders, including himself, from many Cuban dioceses have been granted access to travel to other countries, especially Mexico, to receive advanced formation in catechesis, family ministry, communications and other fields of study.
“Some of us are teaching pastoral formation classes as well as career studies to a growing number of young people,” one lay leader in Santiago said. “Because of this, a new generation of young people are growing close to the Church and receiving formation in faith,” he added.
Many of these programs are attracting interest, as various Cuban dioceses have been authorized to establish agreements with foreign universities – mostly in Spain – and thus issue college degrees. “This was something unimaginable just a few years ago,” he said.
The local laity recognizes that the bishops of Cuba are the target of criticism from internal dissidents and from a large number of Catholic Cubans living in exile, who would like to see them take on a more vocal role similar to that adopted by the Church in Poland.
They are also frustrated because the official schedule for the Pope’s visit does not include a meeting with dissidents such as the “Women in White.”
The lay leaders noted that it’s not the bishops but the government that makes the final decisions regarding the Pope’s agenda, and they acknowledged that they did not know if the bishops had proposed including a meeting with the political dissidence in his agenda approved by the government.
However, the leaders explained that the bishops have preferred to prepare the Church so that when a new era for country arrives, there will be a significant number of committed lay people, which until recently were almost non-existent.
“Is this a risky decision that could have a high political cost in the future? For sure,” one of them said. “Could the bishops have a more energetic role in support of political prisoners or calling for political changes on the island? Possibly, yes,” he added.
Nevertheless, he denied that the bishops of Cuba are avoiding a confrontation with the government out of fear or convenience.
The bishops' decision is a prudential judgment, one of the lay leaders added.
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
“It has been carefully planned and thought through. Many analysts criticize it, and nobody thinks the decision is perfect. But a better understanding of the reality inside Cuba is needed before rushing to make a judgment,” he said.