192 Chapter 8
bishop of Havana, and the President of the Cuban Conference of
Catholic Bishops, Monsignor Dionisio Garcia Ibañez, with the Presi-
dent of the Cuban Republic General Raúl Castro Ruz. Speaking after-
wards at a press conference organized by the diocesan publication
Palabra Nueva, the Cardinal characterized the meeting as very positive
and opening a new period in church-state relations. He further
asserted that the meeting constituted “a dialogue about Cuba” rather
than about the Catholic Church. He also stated that it focused on
Cuba at present and in the future. With respect to the recent interven-
tion of the Cardinal on behalf of the Damas de Blanco’s right to dem-
onstrate peacefully on behalf of their imprisoned relatives, he
concluded that the role of the church as an interlocutor had been
accepted. The meeting also focused on the status of the prisoners
themselves. The prelate emphasized that the May 19th meeting had
recognized that it was natural for the Catholic Church to play an inter-
mediary role in Cuban society.^9 The willingness of General Castro to
meet with the prelates for such a wide ranging discussion reflected the
reemergence of the Catholic Church as an increasingly important
actor in Cuban society. This is, in part, a result of the growing influ-
ence of the religious media in Cuba today, as well as the increasing
generalized societal ferment.
The religious media in Cuba struggled beginning in the 1980s to
define itself and gathered strength in the 1990s as Cubans were buf-
feted by an economic crisis and sought explanations and solutions, as
well as psychological and spiritual comfort. As a consequence, the reli-
gious media increasingly focused on socioeconomic problems preva-
lent throughout Cuba. By the early twenty-first century the religious
media had emerged as a source of in-depth analysis and alternative
discourses to that of the government. As a result, the religious media
became somewhat influential not only among the faithful, but also
among political and intellectual elites. Today religious publications
range from bulletins focusing on the activities of local faith communi-
- Enrique López Oliva, "El Cardenal Jaime Ortega Califico Hoy de ‘muy positivo’ el
dialogo sostenido con el presidente cubano," [email protected], 5/20/10, pp. 1-