Gov't-Imposed Regulations on Cuban House Churches Go Into Effect
New house church regulations in Cuba restricting the religious freedom of Protestant Christians went into effect late last month. On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Cuban government imposed new regulations that severely restrict religious practices and meeti
New house church regulations in Cuba restricting the religious freedom of Protestant Christians went into effect late last month.
On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Cuban government imposed new regulations that severely restrict religious practices and meetings of evangelical house churches. The restrictions resulted from the Cuban Ministry of Justice’s “Resolution No. 46: Instructions for the Request, Procedure and Authorization to Celebrate Worship Services in Dwelling of Personal Property,” which was published in March. Resolution 46 outlines strict regulations on the number of church meetings allowed per week, the time members are allowed to meet and registration information among other religious constraints.
"We do not discuss the right of the government to emit laws,” said Cuban Baptist minister Marcos Antonio Ramos to DiarioLasAmericas, a Spanish newspaper in Miami. “But these 15 pages with small letters mean too much strict control.”
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Among the lists of restrictions, Resolution 46 demands that churches register with the government and receive authorization to hold services. If the churches do not register or are denied authorization despite attempts to register, then the house churches will be forced to close. According to Compass, a denominational leader has reported that out of his 225 attempts for authorizations in the last 11 years, only eight have been approved.
In addition, the new regulations prohibit churches to be within 1.25 miles of one another, causing concern among many religious leaders whose house churches will be forced to close if this regulation is strictly imposed, Compass reported.
The decree also restricts house church meetings to three per week, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays, reported DiarioLasAmericas.
“When you consider that most of our churches meet twice every day to fast and pray, you realize that we are not going to be able to comply with these rules,” remarked a Cuban pastor to Compass.
“These regulations have no other logic except to try to shut down the church,” added a Havana pastor.
"How do these regulations compare with other countries? What degree of autonomy is given to religious organizations in Cuba?” asked Ramos to DiarioLasAmericas. “We will share [our concerns] since now [we have] a reason to worry. Any time they wish to close a place for services, it will be easy to do. There is nobody that fulfils all these regulations and we have only mentioned a few.”
Despite the difficult situation, church leaders have expressed optimism and perseverance in the face of religious oppression and restrictions.
“If bad times come, we will just have to be on our knees more, shed a few more tears perhaps, but we will never turn back,” a church leader in Cuba told Compass.
“I think the majority of churches have gotten on top of this and, to the contrary, become more united. The attempts to repress the church have resulted in the church becoming more unified.”
There are approximately 10,000 to 15,000 house churches in Cuba, according to Cuban Protestant pastors. The house churches are usually affiliated with “well-established denominations,” acting as a satellite church for the main congregations. The house churches consist of 30 to 200 members meeting regularly for service
Despite the harshness posed by the new house church regulations, religious leaders are considering an alternative method to circumvent the regulations. Based on Cuban laws, small groups of up to 12 people are allowed to meet in a private home regardless of the purpose for the gathering. Thus, house church leaders are considering to adopt a cell church structure in order to allow more frequent meetings than three times a week.
