A Trip to Cuba. V: Religion in Cuba

A TRIP TO CUBA. BY DR. JOSEPH M. TANNER, SUPERINTENDENT OF CHURCH SCHOOLS.

V.— RELIGION IN CUBA.

Are the people of Cuba religious? That question is now occupying a prominent place in the discussions of the Cuban people today. On the ship going over from New Orleans to Havana there were aboard three ministers of different Protestant denominations. Some Protestants have been casting a longing glance at the Pearl of the Antilles, in the hope that its inhabitants, who have had so much controversy and trouble with the Spanish priests, might be induced to leave the faith of their forefathers, and accept the faith of some one of the Protestant churches. One of the ministers, a Methodist, did not seem to think a Catholic could be sincerely religious.

But Protestantism does not give promise of much vitality among the Cubans. There are a few Protestant churches on the island, for the accommodation of Americans who go there for business or who visit Cuba during the winter months to escape the rigorous climate of the northern states. There are the Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, the Mission of the Church of Christ, and the Presbyterians. Their attendants really constitute only an infinitesimal fraction of one per cent of the Cuban population which is almost exclusively Catholic. Some Cubans declared that there was indeed very little religious sentiment among the people generally. One could see, especially in Havana, the same conditions that are

common to other Latin countries. The history of religion in Cuba has been associated with the political struggles and revolution that have for more than a cen-

tury almost rent the island asunder. In Cuba the Roman Catholic

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church was supported by the state. In addition to the fees and contributions, the priests received regular stipends amounting from $600 to $1500 a year. In 1898, according to official figures, the amount set apart annually for the support of the church, was $352,000. The proportion, however, was not large out of a revenue that reached $26,000,000 annually. What made religion unpopular with the Cubans was the fact that these priests were almost entirely recruited from Spain. Many of the priests, it was declared, were those whose lives had been such that they could no longer be tolerated at home, and were consequently sent to Cuba. During the different rebellions that broke out on the island, the priests were almost wholly with the Spanish military authorities. Thus the people came to associate the religion they had professed with persecution and oppression. Among the priests there was a minority of Cubans who sympathized strongly with the insurgents. Sometimes these Cuban priests blessed the insurgents' flag, for which one or two were shot. Others, for outspoken sympathy, were deported. There was also marked opposition to the position of the church in the matter of fees. , All one's life, from birth to death, the church imposed its ceremonies; and the fees required for these were found very oppressive, especially among the poor. These were principally the fees for baptism, marriage, and for funeral ceremonies. Again, the clergy strongly opposed the secularization of marriage, and opposed the clamor to make it a civil contract. Doubtless the enmity to the authority of the priests had much to do with the practice among the Cubans of living together as man and wife, without the sanction of the marriage ceremony. When the American occupation was extended over the island, the census taken showed that 131,787 were scheduled as simply "living together." This was more than one-third of the population. Much of the irreligious condition of the people was ascribed to the influence of Free Masonry, which the church not only strongly opposed, but too often persecuted. At times this secret society was apparently wiped out, but it took root again, often in the face of the most bitter opposition. What made it difficult to get rid

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of the Free Masons was the fact that sometimes men high in civil

and military authority were themselves Free Masons. The meetings of the lodges were secret, and the Spanish authorities considered them generally hotbeds of sedition and revolution. The church was therefore directed to bring every influence to bear against masonic lodges. As they were chiefly for social purposes, they had taken the place they occupy in the United States. Every contest, therefore, which the church had with the Cuban people at large, created not only an antagonism to the church, but a real dislike for the professions of religion. Another source of distrust towards the church was the corruption of its priests. They were often made the theme of jest on the stage. A reference was frequently had to the nephews and nieces of priests. Allusions of this character implied, of

course, immoral lives among those who were supposed to be celebates. These grotesque insinuations were greatly enjoyed by the audiences for whose pleasure .they were introduced, and were acceptable to the people generally. Many of the priests, too, were given to gambling, so that the influence of the priesthood over the Cuban people was of little consequence. When the Americans cities sent took possession, the general in command of one of the word to the highest ecclesiastical authorities to remove one of the

priestsfrom his office, because he was a "drunken old vagabond."

Another cause of hatred towards the Spanish priests is the belief, quite universal, that during the insurrections and revolu-

tions, the secrets of the confessionals were given to the Spanish military authorities, and that insurgents were, as a consequence, How much of that belief was sent to their death from the altar. found quite a univer- baseless may never be known.but the belief has from the effects of sal acceptance. When the people were suffering

disease and hunger of the reconcentration camps, it was believed

that Weyler's policy was heartily endorsed by the priests, because spirit of rebellion. Such they thought it would break down the minds of the people animosity as these conditions aroused in the clergy, naturally affected the religious sentiment against the throughout the island. Tens of thousands of men came to ascribe their Catholic church. Their misfortunes and oppression to the Roman into the camps of the opposition to religion naturally drove them

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infidel. Doubtless many women sympathized with their husbands; but, however much they may have learned to hate the clergy, their religious emotions were not suppressed, and if they would not go to the confessional or would not visit the church, they still kept the Catholic images in their homes, and still reverenced them, by the cross and by kneeling before them. The rosary was kept, from which frequent prayers were repeated. All these circumstances led religious enthusiasts of this

country to believe that Cuba offered a field for the spread of Protestant propaganda; and as soon as the American possession was established, they went over in considerable numbers to win the Cubans back to Christianity, especially to the Protestant phase of it. However, proselyting has not been successful. As soon as the Spanish rule was overthrown, there arose at once an objection against the Spanish clergy, and there was, by the Cuban clergy, a strong demand for their recall. The church and state became separate, and the church had thereafter to look to private contributions for support. Our government could not yield to the demands of the Cuban priests. It could not be a party to the religious controversies of the island. However, some steps were taken by the Pope to conciliate the Cuban priests. No doubt, in time, local prejudices will be considered, and Cuban clerics used as much as possible. Contributions to the church from a people in the frame of mind of the Cubans, were not likely to be very liberal. Some Spanish clerics found the temper of the people too uncomfortable for them, and took the first opportunity to withdraw from their parishes. The Jesuits were quick to square themselves with the new conditions. With their traditional adaptability, they welcomed the new administration. As soon as General Gomez came out from the woods, and was about to enter Havana, they went out to meet him, and listened with pleasurable expressions and demonstrations to his declarations of religious liberty. When others hesitated, they raised the American flag in welcome of American authority. There is today a host of professed free thinkers among the Cubans, whose churches are poorly attended, but everywhere there has been a marked falling off in religion. Many laugh at and deride the Catholic priesthood, and affect a contempt for everything re-