I recently attended an excellent meeting co-sponsored by the Cuban Bishops and US Bishops to dialogue about pastoral ministry. This gathering which has been going on for many years includes bishops, laity, and priests from Cuba and from the US.
Of special interest was the relatively new website of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference. The website may seem typical given all of the Bishops’ Conferences around the world which have websites. What is amazing, however, is that the majority of the population in Cuba is still not allowed access to the internet, yet they contribute to the website.
Click on the tab labeled “Nosotros Hoy” and you will be able to read reports of what is currently going on in each diocese in Cuba. The people who submit the reports, however, never have the opportunity to actually view the site; yet they are faithful in sending their updates. Currently the site has about 7,000 visitors — all from outside Cuba.
The Cuban website, all in Spanish, includes a history of the Catholic Church in Cuba, a pastoral plan for the Church, a liturgical calendar identifying the patron saints of the various dioceses, a map of the dioceses, the structure of the bishops’ conference, and information on Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba.
