Aid to the Church in Need: The Church in Cuba is growing

The Church in Cuba is growing – despite everything

Posted by Project Description on 17/8/2009, 2:54 pm
Board Administrator

The Church in Cuba is growing – despite everything

By Reinhard Backes

In April 2009, in what was surely also a profoundly symbolic moment, renovation work on the Sacred Heart Church (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) in the Vedado quarter of Havana was formally concluded after just one year. The tower of this Neo-Gothic church, built originally at the beginning of the 20th century, had fallen into disrepair. The plaster was crumbling, the ironwork rusting away, and moreover the entire facade of the Church had long since lost its paintwork and become dirty and unsightly.
In actual fact this church had already been renovated in the mid-1990s, but the proximity to the coast, the poor-quality materials used and the severe urban pollution from traffic exhaust fumes had reduced the church to a pitiful state once more after just a few years. The church of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús is situated on the Calle Linea, about six blocks away from, and at this point running parallel to, the renowned Malecón coastal avenue, which winds along the shoreline, close to the sea.

In April 2009, in what was surely also a profoundly symbolic moment, renovation work on the Sacred Heart Church (Sagrado Corazón de Jesús) in the Vedado quarter of Havana was formally concluded after just one year.

In some sense, the church of Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, currently under the care of Dominican Padre Antonio Bendito Hernández, its parish priest, echoes the recent fortunes of the Catholics of Cuba. The era of decline, as a result of oppression and persecution, now seems to belong to the past – even though the Castro regime still remains as unwilling as ever to grant unrestricted recognition of the human rights and freedoms of its own population.
And yet, since the beginning of the 1990s, when suddenly the laws were overturned which penalised every form of religious expression, more and more Cubans have been openly professing their Faith. Doubtless this was also due in part to the peaceful revolution in Eastern Europe and the political upheavals that followed it, in consequence of which the prevailing communist ideology had finally lost its appeal. The young people especially increasingly began to turn to the Church.

Today the country faces massive economic problems. The US trade embargo, in place now for decades, has had severe consequences, above all for the ordinary people. The recent devastating natural storms and the economic crisis have added yet another burden. Now Cubans have to face a still more rigid austerity regime and their living conditions must inevitably further drastically deteriorate. The Vatican has warned Cuba to respect human rights, while at the same time criticising the United States for its embargo and the European Union for its own economic sanctions.

A Church in the Guantanamo Diocese assisted by ACN

In order to pay for the renovation of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Father Antonio Bendito Hernández spent six years searching for outside donations and assistance. Finally his own Dominican order, the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and the German Archdiocese of Cologne all agreed to help pay for the now indispensable repairs and the overall renovation. Each of the three parties paid around one third of the total cost, equivalent to around $60,000. The community also had to wait a year and a half for the official permission to begin the building work, but then worked quickly. Already by April 2008 work had begun, and now the project has been completed.
The crumbling concrete was removed, the rusty ironwork replaced; the tower was made safe and the facade renovated and repainted. Now the church has been restored to its former beauty and become a symbol of hope – and not only for believers – in a future that will one day allow the Cuban people, like others, to freely express their convictions and openly live their Faith.

To help the work of the Church in Cuba please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org