Indirect Confrontation:The Evolution of the Political Strategy of the Cuban Catholic
churches or priests that want to do a religious procession. Between the
government and the COCC, we cover basic principles: there is a dia-
logue about human and social issues. But our focus is different - we're
always thinking about the loss of values.”^13Here, Mons. Pérez Riera seeks to acknowledge certain issues around
which the church and the government have found common ground,
yet, he distinguishes the church’s emphasis on the loss of values in
Cuban society. Rolando Suárez, a Catholic layman and the lawyer of
the COCC, points to certain social issues that have been on the table
in discussions between church and government officials: “The gov-
ernment made abortion legal, and employs the death penalty. On
these issues we are not in agreement. But, for example, the govern-
ment has said that euthanasia will be illegal. On this issue we have
agreement.”^14 The government does not in practice consult the church
on how to approach social issues. Cuban church leaders have made
clear their desire to find solutions to issues of common interest, but
they consistently criticize the official channels set up by the govern-
ment to purportedly achieve a constructive dialogue.
The Office of Religious Subjects of the PCC is the official channel
through which all communications between church and state take
place. The mere existence of such an office is a source of consterna-
tion for the church hierarchy. Mons. Pérez Riera notes that when the
Office of Religious Subjects contacts the church, it is usually to pro-
test church actions that overstep boundaries instituted by the govern-
ment: “It doesn’t occur with much frequency. It could be that a priest
in a town organized a procession without permission, as they say, dis-
turbing the social order; it could be about certain articles published in
church magazines, or that someone visited without official documen-
tation.”^15 In discussing the process of dealing with the Office of Reli-
gious Subjects, Mons. Ramón Suárez Polcari (the Chancellor of the- Mons. José Félix Pérez Riera, interview by author, Havana, Cuba, 2006.
- Rolando Suárez, interview by author, Havana, Cuba, 2006.
- Mons. José Félix Pérez Riera, interview by author, Havana, Cuba, 2006.