Talks between the government of President Raúl Castro and leaders of the Catholic Church in Cuba may alleviate internal tensions and lead to the release of political prisoners, although the dialogue should be extended to include other social sectors in the country, religious leaders and analysts told IPS.
Read MoreThe U.S. government increased the number of licenses to travel to Cuba, a destination banned for U.S. citizens, affirmed Arturo Valenzuela, Department of State assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs. According to the official, the travel permits for religious reasons increased by 25 per cent while those given for artistic and academic reasons also grew, but to a lesser extent.
Read MoreCuban President Raúl Castro expressed his willingness to take steps regarding the situation of the political prisoners in the island, affirmed Dionicio García, Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba and president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, who met yesterday with the president together with Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino, Archbishop of Havana.
Read MoreCuban President Raul Castro’s meeting with two representatives of the Catholic Church hierarchy represents a recognition of the latter’s role as an interlocutor in the discussion of the island’s present and future, affirmed Cardinal Jaime Ortega, Archbishop of Havana, in a press conference. Although the prelate admitted that there was no commitment on the government’s part to resolve questions such as the release of political prisoners, he described this first meeting and the following as “an open road with perspectives and hopes.”
Read MoreRepresentatives of the Cuban opposition presented in the island’s capital a “national refoundation” project under the name of Nuevo País (New Country), which will be proposed to the citizenry for its signing and later delivery to the National Assembly. The initiative, made known by Manuel Cuesta Morúa, of Arco Progresista, rests on pillars such as the defense of individual rights, pluralism, cultural and identity diversity, market economy, policies of distributive equity and social protection networks.
Read MoreUS and Cuban specialists are exchanging information in Havana on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico with the aim of confronting this disaster’s possible consequences on the environment, informed Virginia Staab, spokesperson for the US State Department. She said that her government wants to maintain “a clear line of communication” on the matter with Havana.
Read MoreCuba’s strategy to boost production and reduce imports of food is intended to untangle the bureaucratic knots that hinder privately-run farms, responsible for 70 percent of the food on the country’s dinner tables.
Read MoreThe Week against Homophobia should extend the whole year, only in this way will homophobics get used to the idea of coexisting with diverse sexual orientations. And gradually true acceptance will come.
Read MoreInterest in religion is on the upsurge in Cuba, indicated by the growth and variety of the faiths being practiced as well as by the ease with which people participate in more than one spiritual community at a time.
Read More“Governments cannot wait for a social consensus in order to guarantee respect for people’s rights,” Mariela Castro, head of Cuba’s National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), told IPS on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia in Cuba Monday.
Read More