By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2008) Only a divine hand could have orchestrated the events in Cuba so perfectly. In the same week that Fidel Castro announced his resignation, Cardinal Tarcisio Berone, the Vatican Secretary of State, stood before thousands of worshipers in Santa Clara, Cuba where he unveiled a giant statue of one of that country’s most beloved symbols of hope - Pope John Paul II.  Castro’s resignation coincided perfectly with the Cardinal Bertone’s long-awaited visit to the island nation to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s historic trip to Cuba in 1998. Thousands of worshipers met the Cardinal in the cities of Santa Clara, Guantanamo, Havana and Santiago, many of them sporting t-shirts and hats with the 1998 slogan, “Messenger of Hope and Truth.” “Pope Benedict XVI charged me with telling all of you that you have a place in the pope’s heart,” Cardinal Bertone told the crowd in Santa Clara, which stretched for more than 10 blocks down the main boulevard in this central Cuban city. A celebratory mood found Cubans flocking to the Cardinal’s open-air Masses in the cities of Havana, Santiago, Guantanamo and Santa Clara, even though no dramatic changes are expected under the leadership of Fidel’s successor and brother, Raul. The people were definitely hoping for more in the wake of Pope John Paul’s visit and while there have been some signs of change for the better, there have been no real breakthroughs in Church-State relations. The Castro regime still refuses to return Church property seized during the 1960 crackdown on religious groups. The Church has no access to the media, not even the Internet, and all of their activities are subject to State surveillance. Missionaries are routinely expelled from the country and the government is known for delaying immigration and residence permits for priests. All religious holidays are banned, which included Christmas until 1997 when Castro relented and allowed some recognition of the day. There are no Catholic schools and the teaching of religion in public schools is forbidden. The communist party-dominated dictatorship of Fidel Castro does not single out Catholicism for persecution, however. All religious groups experience varying degrees of official interference, harassment and repression because religious practice is considered to be “counterrevolutionary.” During the early years of Castro’s regime, religious leaders including priests, rabbis, and Protestant pastors, were forced into labor camps or exile.  Although the government abandoned its official policy of atheism in the 1990’s and allowed Pope John Paul II to visit, they have kept religious expression in check by rarely permitting the construction of new places of worship. Believers often hold services in private homes, known as “house churches,” of which there are an estimated 10,000 throughout the island. They are required to register and are subject to high fines and even destruction if they do not comply. Anyone who tries to resist these policies is subjected to imprisonment in one of Cuba’s notorious prisons. A report by Human Rights Watch reveals that a typical prisoner receives little more than a cup of water with some sugar for breakfast, and a lunch of four or five spoonfuls of rice and a small bowl of unidentifiable soup (caldo loco). There is no dinner. Prisons are overcrowded and squalid with no access to clean drinking water and toilets that are no more than holes in the ground. A physician who served over six years as a political prisoner said he had seen prisoners suffering from malnutrition, beriberi, anemia, hepatitis, meningitis and other diseases transmitted by rat bites. Prisoners also had a high incidence of psychological disorders, including neuroses, anxiety, and depression.12 It is not hard to see why Cubans are holding their breath in the hopes that Fidel’s departure may signal a new day for Cuba, although the prospects remain dim. Fidel is expected to remain actively involved in the government, which means no dramatic changes are expected anytime soon. “The Church is watching and waiting to see what develops,” said Xavier Legorreta, project chief for the Catholic aid organization, Aid to the Church in Need. “It is difficult to know how things will work out but which ever way you look at it, people will look back on this time as a big day of change – for in general and for the Church too.” But there are some signs of hope. During the visit, Cardinal Bertone opened the first completely new building – a bishop’s house for the new Diocese of Guantanamo.  Attendance at his Masses was almost as high as during Pope John Paul II’s visit, which is significant because the largely Catholic nation is known to have only a nominal number of practicing faithful. Even more hopeful is a possible visit to the island by Pope Benedict XVI, which was intimated by Cardinal Bertone during an address to Cuban bishops. “It is important not to pre-judge the situation,” Mr. Legorreta said. “This is a very poor country where people desperately need food and clothes. But the people also have very grave pastoral needs, and now is the time to spread the Gospel.” © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com