Constitutional Guarantees Versus Practical Reality
Cuba’s constitution proclaims that the state recognizes, respects, and guarantees freedom of religion, and explicitly prohibits discrimination based on religion, declaring the country a secular state with a separation of church and state. Major religions in Cuba include Roman Catholicism, Protestantism (notably Baptists and Pentecostals), Afro-Cuban religions such as Santería, as well as smaller communities of Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus. However, in practice, these constitutional guarantees are systematically undermined by a restrictive and punitive legal and policy framework.
Legal and Policy Architecture of Control
Religious practice in Cuba is regulated through several interlocking mechanisms overseen by the Communist Party, which exercises authority via the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) within the Ministry of Justice. All religious groups must obtain legal recognition from the Ministry of Justice, and only after approval can they apply to the ORA for permission to conduct essential religious activities—including meetings, publishing or importing literature, construction, and holding public services. Any group practicing without registration risks criminal penalties, including heavy fines, closure of organizations, confiscation of property, and, in some cases, criminal prosecution. The process to register is opaque and subject to arbitrary enforcement, and new religious groups, or those formed after 1959, are routinely denied legal status.
In addition, laws criminalize certain types of religious expression, especially those construed as contrary to the interests of the socialist state or public order. Freedom of expression for religious actors is severely restricted; criticism of the government in homilies, sermons, or published religious documents can be criminalized under the Social Communication Law or the Penal Code. The right to assemble and associate is constitutionally recognized only as long as such assembly aligns with public order and statutory precepts—conditions which are subject to state interpretation and are frequently used to deny or restrict the creation and operation of independent religious organizations.
Government Actions Restricting Religion
The Cuban government implements systematic strategies to control and repress religious communities, employing tactics that range from bureaucratic obstruction to direct intimidation and violence. Common actions include:
Denial of Registration and Legal Status: Many churches—especially Protestant Pentecostal congregations, independent Catholic movements, and practitioners of Afro-Cuban religions like Santería—are denied registration, effectively criminalizing their worship.
Fines and Penalties: Religious leaders of both registered and unregistered groups incur steep fines for conducting religious services without government authorization or for carrying out construction or renovations on worship spaces without state approval. For example, fines of 20,000–50,000 Cuban pesos (up to six months' wages for many Cubans) have been levied for “illegal” religious activity.
Surveillance and Harassment: Religious leaders and their families are subjected to state surveillance, phone tapping, interrogation, and public smear campaigns meant to intimidate and discredit them.
Arbitrary Detentions and Threats: Short-term arbitrary detentions, threats, and police visits are regularly reported, particularly when leaders provide humanitarian assistance or support political prisoners’ families. Protestants, Catholics, and Santería leaders have been detained or threatened; children of religious families have experienced verbal abuse in schools.
Restriction of Humanitarian Aid: The state obstructs religious groups’ humanitarian activities, confiscating aid intended for needy communities and threatening those providing or receiving it.
Interference in Worship: Services are occasionally interrupted or prohibited by authorities, and state agents may infiltrate religious gatherings, sowing mistrust.
Travel Restrictions: Religious leaders and believers face restrictions on travel, both within the country and internationally, especially if perceived as government critics or as having foreign connections.
Confiscation and Demolition: Unregistered religious buildings or private homes used for worship can be seized or demolished, making congregation hazardous and precarious.
Impact on Major Religious Communities
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, while still Cuba's largest faith group (comprising roughly 60% of the population), enjoys relative visibility but is heavily regulated. It faces ongoing restrictions: the government limits the opening of new churches, censors religious publications, monitors charitable activities, and inhibits political or social advocacy, particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as human rights or political prisoners. Catholic leaders who support government critics may encounter harassment, fines, and travel restrictions.
Protestantism (Including Baptists and Pentecostals)
Protestant Christians (notably Baptists and Pentecostals, about 5% of the population) are especially targeted for government intervention. Many of their congregations lack legal recognition, leaving them exposed to fines, property confiscation, and harassment by authorities. Pastors and lay leaders report frequent short-term detentions, threats, and restrictions on providing social or humanitarian aid. Those attempting to minister to the families of political prisoners or participate in advocacy are singled out for severe repercussions. Leaders have had their aid confiscated, been prevented from holding public services, and subjected to public campaigns of defamation.
Afro-Cuban Religions (Santería, Yoruba, and Others)
Afro-Cuban religions such as Santería, which blends Yoruba beliefs with Catholic elements and is practiced by a significant share of the population, face persistent prejudice and state hostility despite their cultural prominence. The Cuban government has refused to legally recognize some Afro-Cuban sects, especially if they resist state control. Practitioners have been subject to arrest, fines, and arbitrary prosecution, and have faced public smear campaigns and discrimination. Social stigma is also fostered by state-sanctioned studies associating these religions with criminality or mental illness. Afro-Cuban leaders have been interrogated, their home-based altars searched, and their religious activities fined under the pretext of “illegal religious services”.
Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, with an estimated membership of about 96,000, have long been refused official registration. Their congregations are often forced to meet clandestinely and are subject to surveillance, arbitrary detention, and periodic disruption of gatherings. Jehovah’s Witnesses who refuse military service are denied professional opportunities and sometimes face prosecution. Restrictions on higher education access have also marginalized members of this faith.
Muslims, Jews, and Other Minorities
Muslim and Jewish communities, though small, have suffered sporadic governmental interference, especially when they seek to establish places of worship or host religious events at home. For example, Jewish families have experienced home invasions by security personnel during private ceremonies, with subsequent warnings not to hold further religious gatherings. Muslims have been barred from making religious pilgrimages or denied access to public services while wearing religious garments. Buddhist and Hindu practitioners, while facing fewer documented large-scale crackdowns, struggle for recognition and space amid a regulatory system that prioritizes major, historically rooted faiths.
Psychological, Social, and Material Suffering
The cumulative effect of Cuba's repressive approach to religion causes profound suffering and insecurity among believers. Believers must self-censor, fearing surveillance and denunciation. The threat of fines, arrest, or confiscation of property dissuades many from practicing openly or from engaging in social programs, fragmenting religious communities and reducing their capacity to offer support and humanitarian care during times of crisis. Children in religious households experience stigma and verbal abuse from both state officials and peers owing to their faith. Many religious leaders and activists are compelled to emigrate, detaching communities from their spiritual leadership and heritage. The government’s denial of legal status and transparent procedures deepens poverty, insecurity, and mistrust, especially as economic conditions in Cuba deteriorate.
Conclusion
Despite formal constitutional guarantees, Cuba’s government systemically undermines religious freedom, targeting all major religions—including Catholicism, Protestantism, Afro-Cuban faiths, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and religious minorities—through registration barriers, fines, surveillance, harassment, and arbitrary enforcement. These actions not only violate both national and international commitments to freedom of belief but also inflict daily hardship, fear, and insecurity on faith communities and individuals across the nation.
