HAVANA, Feb  (IPS)  – Ten years after the historic visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II, who passed away in 2005, the Catholic Church continues to call for “unlimited” scope and “due freedom” for its social action initiatives in this socialist country, as one of its most important demands.

“The Church wishes to expand its action to other areas, without limitations, to contribute unwaveringly to the well-being of the Cuban people,” said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, in his homily at a mass celebrated in Havana‘s Cathedral Square.

The Cuban Church “hopes to be increasingly present and active in the midst of society, in ways appropriate to today’s world, carrying out its urgent mission of teaching, healing, helping the poor and promoting the dignity of all people, whether marginalised, displaced or imprisoned,” he said.

The open air mass held on Thursday night, the first of three that the Vatican prelate will celebrate during his visit to Cuba, was attended by the president of the National Assembly (parliament), Ricardo Alarcón, Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque, and the City of Havana Historian, Eusebio Leal, among other authorities.

This was the first mass public event in Cuba since President Fidel Castro announced Tuesday that he was stepping down.

One of the national television channels broadcast the mass live, which the government had only ever done before on the occasion of the visit of John Paul II (1920-2005). However, the programme was announced at very short notice, and it is not known whether other such events on the Italian cardinal’s itinerary will be similarly aired.

In the context of his request for greater freedom for the Church to carry out its work, the Vatican’s number two ranking official laid special emphasis on the issue of religious schools, regarded as one of the most sensitive topics in relations between Cuba and the Vatican.

“In Cuba, Christian and ecclesial charity also has some manifestations in the education of children and young people with learning difficulties, and we are hopeful that the church can broaden its efforts without reserve in this important area of its mission,” he said in the presence of Cuban officials, the diplomatic corps and the faithful, who filled the square to overflowing.

After the January 1959 triumph of the Cuban revolution, education was declared a universal right. Private schools were closed, including those belonging to different Christian churches, and a public education system was established which covers over 98 percent of the school-age population.

There were serious differences between the Cuban state and the Catholic Church until the early 1990s, when the government permitted a certain amount of religious freedom. Relations improved radically after John Paul toured several of the country’s provinces in 1998.

While the Church has maintained its longstanding claims, particularly to the right of access to the media and the opportunity to participate in the educational system, relations with the Cuban state have been respectful and based on open dialogue, acknowledged the archbishop of Havana, Jaime Ortega.

Before the mass in Cathedral Square, Cardinal Bertone met with the members of the Cuban Catholic Bishops’ Conference and expressed his hope that, as happened 10 years ago, the commemoration of this anniversary will “contribute to giving a new impetus to the relationship between the state and the Catholic Church in Cuba.”

That boost is needed “so that in a spirit of respect and mutual understanding, the Church can fully carry out her mission, strictly pastoral and at the service of the faithful, with due freedom,” he added.

Bertone delivered a message from Pope Benedict XVI to the Cuban bishops, exhorting them not to be discouraged in adversity. “At times, some Christian communities feel overwhelmed by difficulties, by the lack of resources, indifference and even distrust, which can cause disillusionment,” the text of the message said.

From Friday until next Tuesday, when his visit ends, Cardinal Bertone plans to hold meetings at the convent of Discalced Carmelite nuns, with the presidency of the Cuban conference of religious orders, the Salesian family and the Catholic press. He will also bless a monument in honour of John Paul II.

His last two days in Cuba will be taken up by an official programme with the authorities, which includes a lecture at the University of Havana, a visit to the Latin American School of Medicine, a working session at the Foreign Ministry and a formal dinner at the Apostolic Nunciature.

Several sources declined to rule out the possibility that at some point during those two days, the Vatican Secretary of State may meet with acting President Raúl Castro, and even his brother Fidel, who stepped aside from active government duties for health reasons on Jul. 31, 2006.

Bertone said on Thursday that he had conveyed an invitation from Fidel Castro to visit the island to Benedict XVI in October 2005. A similar invitation, this time from the Cuban Catholic Church, was issued by Cardinal Ortega at the mass in Cathedral Square.

The history of the Church’s presence in the region over five centuries has been “beneficial, and characterised by intense educational activity, human development, and respect for the lives of all people,” said Bertone, as he stressed the formative role of Catholic education in Cuban culture and thought.

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