The Impact of the Expansion of the Religious Media in Contemporary Cuba 195
ceded by the government, as well as offering alternative discourses
and policy options to those of the state.
Each of the Cuban Catholic dioceses has a bulletin, as do most
parishes. These generally focus on local activities and official state-
ments of the Church. Some occasionally publish excerpts from Palabra
Nueva or Espacio Laical. The diocese of Pinar del Rio, at one time, had
the most talked about religious publication in Cuba, namely Vitral.
Begun in 1994 its stated objective was civic and religious formation to
facilitate the reconstruction and fortifying of civil society in Cuba.
This included recreating the links, autonomy, and creativity of inter-
mediary organizations as a guarantee of an autonomous future and
democratic participation for all citizens.^13 The most outspoken of
Catholic publications, it encountered increasing difficulties with the
government and on May 14, 1997 the editorial staff, headed up by
Dagoberto Valdes, was called to a meeting with party and provincial
officials. The stated purpose was to communicate reservations about
the criticisms Vitral had published of state policies. Government rep-
resentatives held that 30% of the articles appeared impartial, while
60% distorted Cuban realities. The officials also claimed that the pub-
lication reinforced right-wing opponents of the revolution.^14 In
response, the Vitral editorial staff argued that their objective was to
fulfill the exhortation of Vatican II to develop pastoral work that
reflected the intersection of faith and society, as well as faith and cul-
ture. They also stated that they wanted to reflect a broad spectrum of
opinions both within and without the Catholic Church. The editorial
staff held that Vitral was not intended to be either a political or schol-
arly journal, but rather reflect the concerns of ordinary Cubans. In
short, it was not the purpose of the editorial team to oppose the revo-
lution, but rather make it more responsive to the ordinary Cuban. Nor
was Vitral recommending a neoliberal economic model instead of
socialism, as alleged.^15- http://www.vitral.org/vitral/main/socciv.htm. 5/20/2010.
- “Memoria: Transcripción del diálogo efectuado entre representantes del gobierno y
del partido y miembros de redacción de la revista Vitral del Centro de Formación Cívica
y Religiosa de la Diócesis de Pinar del Río,” May 14, 1997, 1-8.