Religion in Cuba

Overview

Catholicism was brought to this medical tourism destination by the Spanish conquistadors.  In fact, as recently as 1959, 85% of the country’s population claimed to follow Catholicism.  However, the Church in Cuba began to suffer enormous pressure with the advent of Fidel Castro.  From that year to 1961, as many as 80% of the country’s Catholic priests left the country for the US. Relations between the Communist party and Catholics reached a head during the Bay of Pigs invasion, when the government accused Catholics of collaborating with the CIA.

Even today, the Catholic Church continues to face numerous restrictions on its activities, including limited access to the media and limitations on the training of foreign priests brought in to work in Cuba.

Santeria

The Santeria religion, which is a blend of the Yoruba traditions that were brought by African slaves between the 16^th and 19^th century, and Christianity, is wholly Cuban in origin.  Because numerous African beliefs were merged with Christian practices, Santeria quickly found favor with African slaves who were able to retain their traditional practices through this hybrid faith.  The Santeria religion has also spread to neighboring islands in the region.

Protestantism

Other Christians in Cuba include Protestant groups, like the Baptists.  These groups suffered relatively less discrimination than the Catholics, although they have had intermittent clashes with the Communist party as well over the years.  The country is also seeing an increase in the numbers of practicing evangelical Christians.

Judaism

This medical tourism destination also has a small Jewish population that is mainly concentrated in Santiago and Camaguey.  The population of Jews however, has been hit by increased migration to Israel.