No Interference With Religion, Says Castro

Press, Volume C, Issue 29624, 21 September 1961, Page 15

No Interference With Religion, Says Castro

< N -Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) HAVANA, September 20. The Cuban Prime Minister (Dr. Castro) has claimed that “no church in Cuba can say the revolution has interfered with its activity.”.

He told a Havana audience last night at a prize-giving for popular songs inspired by the revolution that the counter-revolution chose the religious procession on September 10 to prepare provocations and on the same day there were similar processions of exiles in Miami and in Mexico. Dr. Castro said the militia were expressly ordered to avoid giving provocateurs an excuse for disturbances. "We have never attacked the Catholic Church itself but only Fascist priests, and they left Cuba voluntarily,” he said. Dr. Castro denied rumours that his Government intends to usurp parents’ rights over children. He termed it "the most incredible and ridiculous invention.” Dr. Castro criticised some ’•person with a bureaucratic mind” in the Ministry of Labour for issuing census forms for parents to record children’s names and ages. This was done without consulting higher authority and had "instilled fear into some mothers.” he said. [Bishop Noza MasvidaL effective head of the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba, and 131 priests sailed for Spain from Havana last. Sunday after their expulsion from Cuba. It is believed that barely 150 priests of an origInal 740 remain in Cuba.] Dr. Castro said any priests —Cuban or foreign—charged

with conspiring against the revolution would be “shipped out to Spain” and any such Cuban priests would lose their citizenship. No further permits would be given for holding religious processions, he said.