Catholic Bishops Open Dialogue In Cuba On Family

“The family: path of hope for Cuba” was the theme of the first national meeting of the Pastoral of the Family promoted by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba and recently concluded in Havana.

The meeting, presided over by Bishop Arturo Gonzalez of Santa Clara, took place in the “San Juan Maria Vianney” priests' residence. The initiative was promoted also by Bishop Luis del Castillo, emeritus of Melo, Uruguay, who has collaborated with the Church in Cuba for many years. In his opening speech, Bishop Gonzalez recalled the words of Blessed John Paul II during his visit to the island: “Cuba: care for your families, in order to keep your heart pure!” and thanked the families participating in the meeting, emphasising that in spite of current difficulties, the family remains a source of great hope for the future.

The themes to be considered include: marriage and the family as God's plan for men and women, within which humanity finds its true path to happiness, the family in Cuba, with its needs, its values to be identified in the light of faith but also in dialogue with the various institutions with which it is linked, the education of children, family economics, the aging population, the breakdown of the family and domestic violence.

Prior to the meeting the Commission for the Family, with the contribution of the Jesuit priest Fr. Jorge Cela, president of the Conference of Latin American Provincials, carried out a survey of the island's population, entitled “Cubafamilia”, to investigate the current situation of families in Cuba.