Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba
The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans. But 65 years later, religion seems omnipresent in Cuba, in dazzling diversity.
Text by Luis Andres Henao, Photos by Ramón Espinosa
LGBTQ-inclusive church in Cuba welcomes all in a country that once sent gay people to labor camps
Cuba repressed gay people after its 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro and sent many to labor camps. But in recent years, the communist-run island barred anti-gay discrimination, and a 2022 government-backed “family law” — approved by popular vote — allowed same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt.
Text by Luis Andres Henao, Photos by Ramón Espinosa
Virgin of Charity unites all Cubans — Catholics, Santeria followers, exiled and back on the island
Ramon Nieblas fixed his tearful eyes on the small golden statue, a beloved icon of Cuba’s patron saint. Whispering, he asked the Virgin of Charity of Cobre for a miracle: Please save his sick son
Text by Luis Andres Henao, Photos by Ramón Espinosa