CUBA: Castro v. the Church

Fidel Castro last week lashed out at the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba as "scribes and Pharisees," "peons of the American embassy" and "Franco Fascists." Castro's rage was aroused by a pastoral letter* condemning "the growing advance of Communism in our country." He shouted that whoever "condemns the revolution betrays Christ" and is "capable of crucifying Christ again."

The Catholic Church in Cuba has only 720 priests, one for each 8,000 Catholics, compared with the U.S. ratio of one for every 760 Catholics. Moreover, Cuba's lower classes consider the church somewhat foreign; 400 of the priests are...