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Cardinal in the history of the Cuban Catholic Church. Shortly thereaf-
ter, Pope John Paul II agreed to accept an invitation to visit Cuba
that had been extended by then President Fidel Castro a decade ear-
lier. During his 1998 visit the Pope gave Cubans the same message he
had delivered to his Polish brethren confronting communism in 1979:
“Do not be afraid!” It was becoming apparent to many Cubans that
there was an independent institution on the island that would wel-
come those who were ‘unsympathetic’ to the Revolution. The stage
was set for a new period of church-state relations: a relationship char-
acterized by a new church strategy of indirect confrontation.
Indirect Confrontation: Dealing with Dissidents and the
Government
Since the writing of El amor todo lo espera, the church hierarchy has not
directly confronted the government in its actions or rhetoric. Even
during the 1998 papal visit the church seemed to win a certain degree
of social legitimacy, gaining greater visibility and access to the state-
run media. The Cuban government, for the first time, allowed church
leaders to promote their social message over state-run airwaves.
Thousands of Cubans, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, gathered to
hear the Pope’s homilies. This was a low-risk moment for the church,
and in the presence of the Pope and with the international media
closely watching, church leaders took the opportunity to make some
indirectly confrontational statements. Transcendent moments, such as
Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba Mons. Pedro Meurice Estiú claiming
that the Revolution has “confused the fatherland with a political
party,” were heard by all. A veneer of cordiality concealed underlying
tensions, but the long-term gains were difficult to gauge.
Church leaders privately express great pride for composing the let-
ter and have deemed it unnecessary to write another similar pastoral
letter because Cuba’s social, political, and economic conditions have
not profoundly changed. The singularity of El amor todo lo espera has
given it iconic status in church discourse. What church leaders con-