Between God and the party : religion and politics in revolutionary Cuba / John M. Kirk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kirk, John M., 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Church and state--Cuba--History--20th century.

Church and state.

Church history.

History.

Cuba--Church history.

Cuba.

Cuba--Politics and government--1959-.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xxi, 231 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Gainesville, FL : University Presses of Florida ; Tampa : University of South Florida Press, [1989]

Summary:

Few institutions have had a richer historical tradition in Latin America than the Catholic church, and few recent changes have had as much influence there as the Cuban Revolution. When these strands intertwined, an extraordinary relationship resulted.

In the first work on this topic in English, John Kirk's thorough look at the church, from colonial times to the present, shores up his argument that many influences in Fidel Castro's Cuba have pre-revolutionary roots. Kirk explores Castro's views on religion and their effects on the 1980s rapprochement and contends that Cuba is nurturing a model of constructive church-state relations unique in the hemisphere.

Contents:

1. The Colonial Period, 1492-1898 3

Forging an Identity: The First Two Centuries 5

The Golden Age, 1750-1850 12

The Church and Slavery 15

Bishop Espada y Landa: A New and Controversial Approach, 1802-1832 20

The Liberal Backlash 23

Identity Crisis: Spanish Influence v. Cuban Independence, 1850-1898 26

2. The Church in Search of a Constituency, 1898-1959 32

The Church in an "Independent Cuba" 36

The Church as a Social Institution, 1902-1940 39

Church Gains in the Forties and Fifties 43

Response to the Intensification of the Struggle, 1958 48

The Protestant Church: From Independence to Machado, 1898-1932 53

The Protestant Church: From Machado to Batista, 1933-1958 58

3. From Euphoria to Despair, 1959-1960 65

Socioeconomic Reform 66

Educational Reform 68

Agrarian Reform 71

The Cold War Climate 74

The Church's Response to the U.S.-Soviet-Cuban Triangle 79

4. Confrontation, 1961 91

The U.S.-Soviet-Cuban Triangle 92

The Bay of Pigs and Its Impact on Church-State Relations 94

The Aftermath of Playa Giron: Exile and Polarization 98

The Church at Its Nadir 102

Fidel Castro on Religion 105

The Church at a Crossroads 109

5. "De profundis...," 1962-1969 110

Strains in the Modus Vivendi 111

The Accommodation: Signs of Accord 113

Nuncio Zacchi's Tenure: "Servilismo mas Abjecto" or Sensitive Diplomacy? 117

The Continuing Role of Fidel Castro 121

Modus Vivendi or Modus Moriendi? 124

6. Emerging from the Catacombs, 1969-1978 127

The Government's Reaction to the New Church 131

The Church Takes the Initiative 137

Toward Peaceful Coexistence? 142

7. The Beginnings of Dialogue, 1979-1987 144

The Church's Commitment 146

The Government's Role in the Dialogue 155

Fidel y la religion 162

Church-State Maturity and Leadership 169

8. Toward a Rapprochement 172.

Notes:

Includes index.

Bibliography: pages 203-223.

ISBN:

0813008794

081300909X

OCLC:

16132058