CUBA'S JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: RENDERING UNTO CAESAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HAVANA 000147 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CCA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2019 TAGS: ECON PREL PHUM CU SUBJECT: CUBA'S JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES: RENDERING UNTO CAESAR HAVANA 00000147 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: COM Jonathan Farrar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: A visit to the headquarters of Cuba's Jehovah's Witnesses revealed a sophisticated and growing operation. Leaders of the religion said that there were 90,000 practitioners in Cuba, a number far in excess of previous estimates. Although the religion has neither sought official approval nor is a member of the government sanctioned State Council of Churches, the leaders said that the government tolerates their regular meetings, largely held in private homes. They also stated that the government allows their members to substitute civic service for obligatory military service and that school officials by and large exempt their practitioners from mandatory patriotic activities in the schools. Jehovah Witnesses in Cuba do some door to door proselytizing, but do not pass out literature to non-members. The information obtained from the religious leaders differs sharply from the stories of persecution Jehovah's Witnesses present in interviews with USINT's Refugee Unit. The case of the Jehovah's Witnesses is another example of the evolving situation in Cuba, where after years of trying to abolish religion, the government is now seeks to manage the various major sects. The Jehovah Witnesses have succeeded in using this new GOC posture to carve out new operating space for themselves. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On February 26 COM and Poloff visited the headquarters of the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Playa section of Havana. There are no signs on the outside of the building indicating that it belongs to the religious sect. However, it is notable that it may be the only establishment in Cuba where all the males working in any capacity wear ties. The building contains several offices, large scale laundry facilities for church members and a large printing press that was not working. A spare part had been ordered. Church leaders Gustavo Joseph, Francisco Hechavarria Leyva, Justo Gonzalez Rodriguez and Jose Maria Esposito explained the history of Jehovah's Witnesses in Cuba and the current situation with their followers. Missionaries began arriving in 1910 and established a permanent presence in 1943. The Jehovah Witnesses occupied the present building in 1949. The government banned the Jehovah's Witnesses under Decree Law 222 and closed the headquarters in 1974. It re-opened in 1994, and according to the leaders it is the property of the association of Jehovah's Witnesses. ¶3. (C) The religious leaders explained that the Jehovah Witnesses have rapidly expanded since 1994. They stated that in 1996 there were 70,000 practitioners in Cuba, and that since then the number has grown to 90,000. The number is far greater than is cited in several studies of religion in Cuba. There has been a steady increase despite the fact that the community has lost many members through emigration. Jehovah Witnesses are frequently approved to travel to the US as refugees. The organization has not petitioned the government to be officially recognized as a religion. They are not a member of the state sanctioned Council of Churches. Because of doctrinal differences the organization does not get involved in ecumenical efforts. The leaders presented that they have a minimum amount of friction with the government. The members steer clear of any involvement in politics. They are not allowed to establish individual "Kingdom Halls" as places of worship. They said that their members hold regular meetings and bible study classes without difficulty in private homes throughout the island. Some of these residences can accommodate several hundred people. The leaders said that even without having official status as a legal gathering, the local authorities have given verbal permission to hold the meetings. The leaders indicated that they are very respectful of their neighbors and the meetings have not been the subject of complaints. ¶4. (C) The leaders said that their members do some door to door proselytizing without interference from the authorities. The Cuban government normally prohibits all religions from proselytizing and other missionary work. The leaders stated that they are discrete about such activities and do not pass out literature to non-members. The organization distributes to their members a large amount of pamphlets and other HAVANA 00000147 002.2 OF 002 material. Normally this is produced at their headquarters, but since the printing press is broken, they now import large quantities of material from Mexico. Mr. Hechavarria told Poloff that the association imports thousands of bibles from Mexico without problems. They regularly receive visitors from members from many countries, such as Belgium, Italy , Mexico and the US, and have an especially strong connection with a group in Brooklyn, New York. Cuban Members have been allowed to travel to international conventions in Mexico, Argentina and Spain. ¶5. (C) The leaders down played the difficulties that are the most frequent areas of complaint from their co-religionists seeking refugee status. They said that in the past two to three years their members can usually be assigned some type of civic duties in lieu of obligatory military service. They also said that school authorities are generally respectful when Jehovah Witnesses refuse to participate in mandatory patriotic activities and allow students to opt out of such activities based on their religious convictions. They cited occasional friction due to "overly zealous" school administrators and teachers. This statement is in striking contrast to the stories told by refugee applicants of persecution and humiliation of Jehovah Witnesses within the education system. The leaders also said that neighborhood surveillance is at such a high level that the authorities know clearly who is a sincere practitioner of their religion, and who feigns these beliefs to avoid military service. ¶6. (C) COM asked about involvement in hurricane relief efforts. Mr. Joseph stated that they made some low key efforts to deliver a truckload of supplies in some locations, but they were limited in what they could do because they were unable to obtain construction materials. ¶7. (C) Comment: Overall the leaders emphasized that they stay away from political issues and try to avoid confrontations with the government. Many religious groups cite to USINT officers the scriptural maxim: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and render unto God what is God's". Since the mid 1990's the government of Cuba has abandoned efforts to suppress religion for an evolving strategy of offering more space to religious leaders, as long as they don't get involved in politics or seek to supplant GOC social programs. The leadership of the Jehovah Witnesses tend to put a more positive spin on their relations with the government than do many of the rank and file practitioners in discussions with USINT officials and as refugee applicants. FARRAR