Category: Cuba

The new formation center was built in the Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Havana and as planned, it will be attended by a hundred students. The first stone of the religious building was blessed by Pope John Paul II during a Mass celebrated in Havana on January 25, 1998, at the end of his historic visit to the island, but construction work has begun just recently, when the Cuban government began to show a more tolerant attitude towards the Catholic Church. The construction of the seminary was mainly financed by the Order of the Knights of Columbus in the United States of America. The international press, as well as local and foreign analysts, have noted that the Church has begun to play an increasingly significant role in the social life of the country. On July 7 of this year, thanks to the efforts of the Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, Cuban authorities released 52 political dissidents and allowed them to leave the country. In addition, the Catholic Church has repeatedly called for a liberalization of political and economic life in the country.