# Catholic Church in Cuba > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Catholic_Church_in_Cuba > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Catholic_Church_in_Cuba.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Cuba > Source revision: 1350204602 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Part of a series on the Catholic Church by country Africa Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia Somaliland South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Kazakhstan Korea North Korea South Korea Kyrgyzstan Laos Macau Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Tajikistan Thailand Timor-Leste Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vietnam Middle East Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Abkhazia Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Palestine Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen Europe Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Great Britain England and Wales Scotland Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine North America Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Oceania Australia Fiji Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu South America Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Catholic Church portal v t e The **Catholic Church in Cuba** is part of the worldwide [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church), under the spiritual leadership of the [Pope](/source/Pope) in [Rome](/source/Rome). Catholics make up approximately half of the population of Cuba.[1] ## History Main article: [History of the Catholic Church in Cuba](/source/History_of_the_Catholic_Church_in_Cuba) This section may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. Please help improve it by removing references to unreliable sources where they are used inappropriately. (April 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Catholicism has historically been the majority religion since Cuba's colonization. However, Communist Cuba is no exception to the ideological clash between [Communism](/source/Communism) and [religion](/source/Religion) that was common in communist countries. After [Fidel Castro](/source/Fidel_Castro)'s [ascent to power](/source/Cuban_Revolution) in 1959, he imposed restrictions on religious activities such as Christmas celebrations, and in 1962 barred personnel of the Church from joining the [Communist Party of Cuba](/source/Communist_Party_of_Cuba) - following a communist tradition of [Marxist-Leninist atheism](/source/Marxist-Leninist_atheism).[2] However, Castro's efforts were not as successful as in traditionally [communist countries](/source/Communist_countries) such as the [USSR](/source/Religion_in_the_USSR) or [China](/source/Religion_in_China). When the [Cold War](/source/Cold_War) ended, such restrictions were lifted and the atheist guidelines outlined in the Cuban Constitution were removed. Catholics have been able openly join the Party since 1990. In 1998 Pope [John Paul II](/source/John_Paul_II) made an official visit to Cuba and met Fidel Castro in person. Castro honored the Pope publicly. [Pope Benedict XVI](/source/Pope_Benedict_XVI) visited in 2012, meeting both Fidel and [First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba](/source/First_Secretary_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Cuba) [Raúl Castro](/source/Ra%C3%BAl_Castro), as did [Pope Francis](/source/Pope_Francis) in 2015. Raúl Castro was so moved by Pope Francis’s visit and speeches that he said “If the Pope continues to speak like this, sooner or later I will start praying again and I will return to the Catholic Church – and I’m not saying this jokingly.”[3] ## Current status The Catholic Church body in Cuba is governed by the Cuban Bishops Conference. There are over six million Catholics - around 60.5% of the total population.[4] The country is divided into three [archdioceses](/source/Archdiocese)[5] and eleven [dioceses](/source/Diocese). The Catholic Church in Cuba has taken on a more politically active role than in many other countries. It claims to have engaged in discussion with the government on issues such as political prisoners and free market reforms. Catholics in Cuba have greater religious freedom than those in other [Communist countries](/source/Communist_countries) such as [China](/source/Catholic_Church_in_China), [Laos](/source/Catholic_Church_in_Laos), [North Korea](/source/Catholic_Church_in_North_Korea), and [Vietnam](/source/Catholic_Church_in_Vietnam).[6][7] ## 2025 Jubilee Following a meeting between [Pope Francis](/source/Pope_Francis) and [First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba](/source/First_Secretary_of_the_Communist_Party_of_Cuba) [Miguel Díaz-Canel](/source/Miguel_D%C3%ADaz-Canel) in August 2022, Cuba released more than 500 prisoners from their sentences to honor the Catholic Church's [2025 Jubilee](/source/2025_Jubilee) Year. According to Díaz-Canel, in his statement accompanying the prisoner release, Cuba maintains “a respectful, frank, and constructive relationship with the Vatican and the Supreme Pontiff, which facilitates decisions such as the one recently taken.”[8] ## Structure - [Archdiocese of San Cristóbal de la Habana](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_San_Crist%C3%B3bal_de_la_Habana) - [Diocese of Pinar del Río](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Pinar_del_R%C3%ADo) - [Diocese of Matanzas](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Matanzas) - [Archdiocese of Camagüey](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Camag%C3%BCey) - [Diocese of Ciego de Avila](/source/Diocese_of_Ciego_de_Avila) - [Diocese of Cienfuegos](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Cienfuegos) - [Diocese of Santa Clara](/source/Diocese_of_Santa_Clara) - [Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba](/source/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Santiago_de_Cuba) - [Diocese of Guantánamo-Baracoa](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Guant%C3%A1namo-Baracoa) - [Diocese of Holguín](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Holgu%C3%ADn) - [Diocese of Santísimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo](/source/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_Sant%C3%ADsimo_Salvador_de_Bayamo_y_Manzanillo) ## See also [Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals): - [Catholicism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Catholicism) - [History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:History) - [Cuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Cuba) - [Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba](/source/Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops_of_Cuba) - [List of Central American and Caribbean Saints](/source/List_of_Central_American_and_Caribbean_Saints) - [Religion in Cuba](/source/Religion_in_Cuba) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Latinobarometro, Opinion Publica Latinoamericana, Enero 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Pilgrim Pope: Pope Benedict XVI to Visit Cuba, Perhaps Mexico in 2012"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120206025423/http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=43993). Catholics Online. 11 December 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=43993) on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** McLaughlin, Eliott C. (2015-05-10). ["Raul Castro may join Catholic Church, he says after Pope Francis meeting"](https://www.cnn.com/2015/05/10/europe/italy-raul-castro-pope-francis-meeting/index.html). *CNN*. Retrieved 2025-05-16. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [US Conference of Catholic Bishops website, *The Catholic Church in Cuba*, retrieved 2024-01-05](https://www.usccb.org/offices/general-secretariat/catholic-church-cuba) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Encyclopedia.com website, *Cuba, the Catholic Church in*](https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cuba-catholic-church) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Freedom House website, 2023 report on Cuba](https://freedomhouse.org/country/cuba/freedom-world/2023) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Freedom House website, 2023 report on China](https://freedomhouse.org/country/china/freedom-world/2023) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Cuba to release prisoners 'in the spirit of the Jubilee' - Vatican News"](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-01/cuba-to-release-prisoners-in-the-spirit-of-the-jubilee.html). 15 January 2025. v t e Catholic Church in North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Catholic Church in Cuba](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Cuba) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Cuba?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.